Systems and methods for providing a customized program lineup

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for delivering content according to a customized program lineup are provided. A content source transmits a plurality of media assets in a first schedule according to scheduled transmission times. A processing device may receive a user input to receive the media assets in a second schedule different from the first schedule. When a request to access the content source is received, the processing device may automatically determine, based on the second schedule, whether the user has requested a different media asset than the originally-scheduled asset at the time of the request. If the user has requested a different media asset, the processing device may automatically receive and provide the different media asset instead of the originally-scheduled asset.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/478,888, filed Sep. 5, 2014, which is a continuation of priorU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/528,144, filed Jun. 20, 2012. Theprior applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today's consumers are faced with an ever increasing number of mediaassets provided from a wide variety of content sources. Due to the largenumber of available choices, consumers may find it desirable to define acustomized program lineup, thereby allowing the consumer to access mediaassets at the most convenient times and in a preferred order. To thisend, traditional systems have long enabled consumers to time-shift mediaassets from their originally-scheduled broadcast times. For example,personal video recorders (PVRs), such as those provided by TIVO, Inc.,record media assets onto a digital storage device and allow users toplayback the media assets at a later time. PVRs may also record mediaassets in real-time, allowing users to pause real-time programs, rewind,and even fast forward through commercials until they reach a point atwhich the program is currently provided. However, PVRs are unable toadjust the original broadcast time of a media asset and thus are limitedto providing playback after the original broadcast of the media asset.In particular, users are unable to view a media asset prior to itsoriginally scheduled broadcast time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, systems and methods for delivering content according to acustomized program lineup are provided. A content source may transmit aplurality of media assets according to scheduled transmission times. Asused herein, “content source” may refer to any type of contentdistribution equipment, including a television distribution facility, acable system headend, a cable service provider, a television channel, avideo-on-demand (VOD) server, an Internet server, a website, a localrecording device, a remote recording device, or any other suitablecontent provider. A user may define a customized program lineup bymodifying the media assets from their originally-scheduled transmissiontimes. In some embodiments, the user may navigate in an interactiveprogram guide screen and select, swap, and reorder programs into adesired sequence. For example, the user may request a program which isoriginally scheduled to air at 10 pm to be received at 7 pm instead. Inresponse to the user request, a processing device may update the programguide screen to display the customized program lineup as defined by theuser. In some embodiments, the updated program guide screen is onlygenerated for the requesting user, and other users in the mediadistribution network may still see the media assets at theiroriginally-scheduled transmission times.

When the user requests access to a content source, the processing devicemay determine, based on the customized program lineup, whether the userhas specified a different media asset than the originally-scheduledmedia asset at the time of the request. If the user has specified adifferent media asset according to the customized program lineup, theprocessing device may automatically receive the different media assetand provide it to the user instead of the originally-scheduled mediaasset. In some embodiments, the processing device may automaticallytransmit a request to the content source to provide the different mediaasset at the user-specified time. The processing device may subsequentlyreceive and present the different media asset to the user instead of theoriginally-scheduled media asset.

In some embodiments, the processing device may automatically receive thedifferent media asset from a second content source that is differentthan the original content source. For example, the processing device mayreceive the different media asset from an Internet streaming serverwhich may provide the different media asset on-demand at theuser-specified time. In some embodiments, the second content source maybe associated with the original content source. For example, if the usershifted a media asset on ABC, the processing device may request themedia asset from a streaming server or a website associated with theAmerican Broadcasting Company. In other embodiments, the second contentsource may not be associated with the original content source. Forexample, the processing device may request the media asset from athird-party streaming server, such as YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu. Theprocessing device may transmit a communication to the second contentsource requesting that the different media asset be made available atthe time of the request. The processing device may automatically receivethe media asset from the second content source and present it to theuser instead of the originally-scheduled media asset.

After playback of a media asset completes, the processing device maydetermine whether the next media asset according to the customizedprogram lineup is different than the originally-scheduled media asset tobe transmitted by the content source. If the user has not specified adifferent media asset, the processing device may receive and present theoriginally-scheduled media asset. If the user has requested a differentmedia asset according to the customized program lineup, the processingdevice may automatically receive and present the different media assetinstead of the originally-scheduled media asset as described above. Inthis manner, the user may be seamlessly presented with requested mediaassets at specified times along with the originally-scheduled mediaassets when no special request has been made. At the same time, otherusers in the media distribution network may continue to receive themedia assets from the content source at their originally-scheduledtimes.

In some embodiments, the request to access the content source may bereceived in the middle of a media asset according to the customizedprogram lineup. For example, the user may have specified a media assetto air at 7 pm on ABC, but tuned to ABC at 7:15. In such embodiments,the processing device may transmit a request to the second contentsource to provide the media asset starting at an intermediate pointcorresponding to the time of the request. In the above example, theprocessing device may receive and present the media asset at a pointfifteen minutes into the asset.

In some embodiments, each of the media assets may be associated with anavailability window which indicates a combination of time intervalsand/or content sources over which the media asset may be accessed. Insome embodiments, the data indicating the availability window may bereceived with the program guidance data of the media asset. In alternateembodiments, the data indicating the availability windows may bereceived separately from the program guidance data. The availabilitywindow may extend prior to the originally-scheduled transmission time ofthe media asset, allowing a user to request early access to the mediaasset. The availability window may also extend past theoriginally-scheduled transmission time, allowing a user request themedia asset at a later time. The availability window may also denote asingle content source or a predetermined set of content sources overwhich a media asset may be accessed. For example, a program which isscheduled to broadcast on ABC may be shifted to other channelsassociated with the American Broadcasting Company, such as ABC Family.

In some embodiments, the processing device may store the personalizedprogram lineup onto a digital storage device. The digital storage devicemay reside within a user equipment device, at a remote server, or acombination of the two. In some embodiments, the user may construct thepersonalized program lineup on a first user equipment device, such as amobile phone, store the personalized program lineup at a remote server,and access the program lineup on a second user equipment device, such asa set-top-box.

In some embodiments, the processing device may automatically rearrangeother media assets that are affected by the user request to shift amedia asset. For example, the processing device may automatically shiftthe affected media assets forward or backward such that the requestedmedia asset is “inserted” into the program lineup without a loss ofprogramming. Furthermore, the processing device may determine whetherrelated media assets should be rearranged into broadcast order. Forexample, if a later episode of a series is moved before an earlierepisode of the same series, the processing device may automaticallyrearrange the episodes in their original broadcast order and update thecustomized program lineup.

In some embodiments, the creation of a customized program lineup may beassociated with a fee. In some embodiments, the shifting of a mediaasset from its originally-scheduled transmission time and content sourcemay be associated with a one-time fee. The processing device may requestpayment for the fee at any suitable time, such as at the time the mediaasset is shifted, when the media asset is delivered to the userequipment, or after the media asset is delivered. In alternateembodiments, the user may purchase a subscription which allows a limitedor unlimited number of shifts within a certain content source or apredetermined set of content sources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative interactive media guidance applicationdisplay screen in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 shows another illustrative interactive media guidance applicationdisplay screen in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a user equipment device in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a cross-platform interactive mediasystem in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative display screen presenting an availabilitywindow associated with a media asset in accordance with some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows another illustrative display screen presenting anavailability window associated with a media asset in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows another illustrative display screen presenting anavailability window associated with a media asset in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 a shows an illustrative interactive media guidance applicationdisplay screen with a first sequence of media assets in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 b shows an illustrative interactive media guidance applicationdisplay screen with a second sequence of media assets in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen withsubscription and fee information in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen regarding aswap of a first and a second media asset in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative confirmation screen to rearrange relatedmedia assets in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a flow diagram for defining a personalized programlineup in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates another flow diagram for defining a personalizedprogram lineup in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates a flow diagram for delivering content according to apersonalized program lineup in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow diagram for rearranging related media assetsin accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

Systems and methods for delivering content according to a customizedprogram lineup are provided. A content source transmits a plurality ofmedia assets in a first schedule according to scheduled transmissiontimes. A processing device may receive a user input to receive the mediaassets in a second schedule different from the first schedule. When arequest to access the content source is received, the processing devicemay automatically determine, based on the second schedule, whether theuser has requested a different media asset than the originally-scheduledasset at the time of the request. If the user has requested a differentmedia asset, the processing device may automatically receive and providethe different media asset instead of the originally-scheduled asset.

The amount of content available to users in any given content deliverysystem can be substantial. Consequently, many users desire a form ofmedia guidance through an interface that allows users to efficientlynavigate content selections and easily identify content that they maydesire. An application that provides such guidance is referred to hereinas an interactive media guidance application or, sometimes, a mediaguidance application or a guidance application.

Interactive media guidance applications may take various forms dependingon the content for which they provide guidance. One typical type ofmedia guidance application is an interactive television program guide.Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to aselectronic program guides) are well-known guidance applications that,among other things, allow users to navigate among and locate many typesof content or media assets. Interactive media guidance applications maygenerate graphical user interface screens that enable a user to navigateamong, locate, and select content. As referred to herein, the terms“media asset” and “content” should be understood to mean anelectronically consumable user asset, such as television programming, aswell as pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand(VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadablecontent, Webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information,pictures, rotating images, documents, playlists, websites, articles,books, electronic books, blogs, advertisements, chat sessions, socialmedia, applications, games, and/or any other media or multimedia and/orcombination of the same. Guidance applications also allow users tonavigate among and locate content. As referred to herein, the term“multimedia” should be understood to mean content that utilizes at leasttwo different content forms described above, for example, text, audio,images, video, or interactivity content forms. Content may be recorded,played, displayed or accessed by user equipment devices, but can also bepart of a live performance.

With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speedwireless networks, users are accessing media on user equipment deviceson which they traditionally did not. As referred to herein, the phrase“user equipment device,” “user equipment,” “user device,” “electronicdevice,” “electronic equipment,” “media equipment device,” or “mediadevice” should be understood to mean any device for accessing thecontent described above, such as a television, a Smart TV, a set-topbox, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellitetelevision, a digital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), adigital media adapter (DMA), a streaming media device, a DVD player, aDVD recorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, aBLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PCmedia server, a PC media center, a hand-held computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smart phone, or any other television equipment, computingequipment, or wireless device, and/or combination of the same. In someembodiments, the user equipment device may have a front facing screenand a rear facing screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angledscreens. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a frontfacing camera and/or a rear facing camera. On these user equipmentdevices, users may be able to navigate among and locate the same contentavailable through a television. Consequently, media guidance may beavailable on these devices, as well. The guidance provided may be forcontent available only through a television, for content available onlythrough one or more of other types of user equipment devices, or forcontent available both through a television and one or more of the othertypes of user equipment devices. The media guidance applications may beprovided as on-line applications (i.e., provided on a web-site), or asstand-alone applications or clients on user equipment devices. Variousdevices and platforms that may implement media guidance applications aredescribed in more detail below.

One of the functions of the media guidance application is to providemedia guidance data to users. As referred to herein, the phrase, “mediaguidance data” or “guidance data” should be understood to mean any datarelated to content, such as media listings, media-related information(e.g., broadcast times, broadcast channels, titles, descriptions,ratings information (e.g., parental control ratings, critic's ratings,etc.), genre or category information, actor information, logo data forbroadcasters' or providers' logos, etc.), media format (e.g., standarddefinition, high definition, 3D, etc.), advertisement information (e.g.,text, images, media clips, etc.), on-demand information, blogs,websites, and any other type of guidance data that is helpful for a userto navigate among and locate desired content selections. Media guidancedata may also include data indicating an availability window associatedwith a media asset, including an interval or intervals of time duringwhich the media asset may be accessed as well as a predetermined set ofcontent sources over which the media asset may be received. In someembodiments, data indicating the availability window for a media assetis communicated separately from the media guidance data.

FIGS. 1-2 show illustrative display screens that may be used to providemedia guidance data. The display screens shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 5-12 maybe implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. Whilethe displays of FIGS. 1-2 and 5-12 are illustrated as full screendisplays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid over contentbeing displayed. A user may indicate a desire to access contentinformation by selecting a selectable option provided in a displayscreen (e.g., a menu option, a listings option, an icon, a hyperlink,etc.) or pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remotecontrol or other user input interface or device. In response to theuser's indication, the media guidance application may provide a displayscreen with media guidance data organized in one of several ways, suchas by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by source, bycontent type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children, orother categories of programming), or other predefined, user-defined, orother organization criteria. The organization of the media guidance datais determined by guidance application data. As referred to herein, thephrases “guidance application data” and “program guidance data” shouldbe understood to mean data used in operating the guidance application,such as program information, guidance application settings, userpreferences, or user profile information.

FIG. 1 shows illustrative grid program listings display 100 arranged bytime and channel that also enables access to different types of contentin a single display. Display 100 may include grid 102 with: (1) a columnof channel/content type identifiers 104, where each channel/content typeidentifier (which is a cell in the column) identifies a differentchannel or content type available; and (2) a row of time identifiers106, where each time identifier (which is a cell in the row) identifiesa time block of programming. Grid 102 also includes cells of programlistings, such as program listing 108, where each listing provides thetitle of the program provided on the listing's associated channel andtime. With a user input device, a user can select program listings bymoving highlight region 110. Information relating to the program listingselected by highlight region 110 may be provided in program informationregion 112. Region 112 may include, for example, the program title, theprogram description, the time the program is provided (if applicable),the channel the program is on (if applicable), the program's rating, andother desired information.

In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., contentthat is scheduled to be transmitted to a plurality of user equipmentdevices at a predetermined time and is provided according to aschedule), the media guidance application also provides access tonon-linear programming (e.g., content accessible to a user equipmentdevice at any time and is not provided according to a schedule).Non-linear programming may include content from different contentsources including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g.,streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content(e.g., content stored on any user equipment device described above orother storage device), or other time-independent content. On-demandcontent may include movies or any other content provided by a particularcontent provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing “The Sopranos” and “CurbYour Enthusiasm”). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time WarnerCompany L.P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM aretrademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content mayinclude web events, such as a chat session or Webcast, or contentavailable on-demand as streaming content or downloadable content throughan Internet web site or other Internet access (e.g. FTP).

Grid 102 may provide media guidance data for non-linear programmingincluding on-demand listing 114, recorded content listing 116, andInternet content listing 118. A display combining media guidance datafor content from different types of content sources is sometimesreferred to as a “mixed-media” display. Various permutations of thetypes of media guidance data that may be displayed that are differentthan display 100 may be based on user selection or guidance applicationdefinition (e.g., a display of only recorded and broadcast listings,only on-demand and broadcast listings, etc.). As illustrated, listings114, 116, and 118 are shown as spanning the entire time block displayedin grid 102 to indicate that selection of these listings may provideaccess to a display dedicated to on-demand listings, recorded listings,or Internet listings, respectively. In some embodiments, listings forthese content types may be included directly in grid 102. Additionalmedia guidance data may be displayed in response to the user selectingone of the navigational icons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on a userinput device may affect the display in a similar manner as selectingnavigational icons 120.)

Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertisement 124, andoptions region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to view and/orpreview programs that are currently available, will be available, orwere available to the user. The content of video region 122 maycorrespond to, or be independent from, one of the listings displayed ingrid 102. Grid displays including a video region are sometimes referredto as picture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and theirfunctionalities are described in greater detail in Satterfield et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat.No. 6,239,794, issued May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entireties. PIG displays may be included inother media guidance application display screens of the embodimentsdescribed herein.

Advertisement 124 may provide an advertisement for content that,depending on a viewer's access rights (e.g., for subscriptionprogramming), is currently available for viewing, will be available forviewing in the future, or may never become available for viewing, andmay correspond to or be unrelated to one or more of the content listingsin grid 102. Advertisement 124 may also be for products or servicesrelated or unrelated to the content displayed in grid 102. Advertisement124 may be selectable and provide further information about content,provide information about a product or a service, enable purchasing ofcontent, a product, or a service, provide content relating to theadvertisement, etc. Advertisement 124 may be targeted based on a user'sprofile/preferences, monitored user activity, the type of displayprovided, or on other suitable targeted advertisement bases.

While advertisement 124 is shown as rectangular or banner shaped,advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape, and locationin a guidance application display. For example, advertisement 124 may beprovided as a rectangular shape that is horizontally adjacent to grid102. This is sometimes referred to as a panel advertisement. Inaddition, advertisements may be overlaid over content or a guidanceapplication display or embedded within a display. Advertisements mayalso include text, images, rotating images, video clips, or other typesof content described above. Advertisements may be stored in a userequipment device having a guidance application, in a database connectedto the user equipment, in a remote location (including streaming mediaservers), or on other storage means, or a combination of theselocations. Providing advertisements in a media guidance application isdiscussed in greater detail in, for example, Knudson et al., U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2003/0110499, filed Jan. 17, 2003; Ward, IIIet al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,997, issued Jun. 29, 2004; and Schein et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,714, issued May 14, 2002, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties. It will beappreciated that advertisements may be included in other media guidanceapplication display screens of the embodiments described herein.

Options region 126 may allow the user to access different types ofcontent, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidanceapplication features. Options region 126 may be part of display 100 (andother display screens described herein), or may be invoked by a user byselecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated or assignablebutton on a user input device. The selectable options within optionsregion 126 may concern features related to program listings in grid 102or may include options available from a main menu display. Featuresrelated to program listings may include searching for other air times orways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling seriesrecording of a program, setting program and/or channel as a favorite,purchasing a program, or other features. As discussed below, the usermay also request to view an availability window associated with aprogram, shift a program from its originally-scheduled transmissiontime, swap the transmission times of programs, or rearrange selectedepisodes into an original order, such as an original broadcast orepisode order. Options available from a main menu display may includesearch options, VOD options, parental control options, Internet options,cloud-based options, device synchronization options, second screendevice options, options to access various types of media guidance datadisplays, options to subscribe to a premium service, options to edit auser's profile, options to access a browse overlay, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on a user'spreferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a user tocustomize displays and features to create a personalized “experience”with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may becreated by allowing a user to input these customizations and/or by themedia guidance application monitoring user activity to determine varioususer preferences. Users may access their personalized guidanceapplication by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to theguidance application. Customization of the media guidance applicationmay be made in accordance with a user profile. The customizations mayinclude varying presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays,font size of text, etc.), aspects of content listings displayed (e.g.,only HDTV or only 3D programming, user-specified broadcast channelsbased on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display ofchannels, recommended content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g.,recording or series recordings for particular users, recording quality,etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of Internetcontent (e.g., presentation of social media content, e-mail,electronically delivered articles, etc.) and other desiredcustomizations. The customizations may also include defining apersonalized program lineup by shifting selected media assets from theiroriginally-scheduled transmission time and/or channel, as will befurther discussed below.

The media guidance application may allow a user to provide user profileinformation or may automatically compile user profile information. Themedia guidance application may, for example, monitor the content theuser accesses and/or other interactions the user may have with theguidance application. Additionally, the media guidance application mayobtain all or part of other user profiles that are related to aparticular user (e.g., from other web sites on the Internet the useraccesses, such as www.allrovi.com, from other media guidanceapplications the user accesses, from other interactive applications theuser accesses, from another user equipment device of the user, etc.),and/or obtain information about the user from other sources that themedia guidance application may access. As a result, a user can beprovided with a unified guidance application experience across theuser's different user equipment devices. This type of user experience isdescribed in greater detail below in connection with FIG. 4. Additionalpersonalized media guidance application features are described ingreater detail in Ellis et al.,

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0251827, filed Jul. 11,2005, Boyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,098, issued Jan. 16, 2007, andEllis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0174430,filed Feb. 21, 2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties.

Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is shown inFIG. 2. Video mosaic display 200 includes selectable options 202 forcontent information organized based on content type, genre, and/or otherorganization criteria. In display 200, television listings option 204 isselected, thus providing listings 206, 208, 210, and 212 as broadcastprogram listings. In display 200 the listings may provide graphicalimages including cover art, still images from the content, video clippreviews, live video from the content, or other types of content thatindicate to a user the content being described by the media guidancedata in the listing. Each of the graphical listings may also beaccompanied by text to provide further information about the contentassociated with the listing. For example, listing 208 may include morethan one portion, including media portion 214 and text portion 216.Media portion 214 and/or text portion 216 may be selectable to viewcontent in full-screen or to view information related to the contentdisplayed in media portion 214 (e.g., to view listings for the channelthat the video is displayed on).

The listings in display 200 are of different sizes (i.e., listing 206 islarger than listings 208, 210, and 212), but if desired, all thelistings may be the same size. Listings may be of different sizes orgraphically accentuated to indicate degrees of interest to the user orto emphasize certain content, as desired by the content provider orbased on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphicallyaccentuating content listings are discussed in, for example, Yates, U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0153885, filed Dec. 29, 2005,which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Users may access content and the media guidance application (and itsdisplay screens described above and below) from one or more of theiruser equipment devices. FIG. 3 shows a generalized embodiment ofillustrative user equipment device 300. More specific implementations ofuser equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. 4.User equipment device 300 may receive content and data via input/output(hereinafter “I/O”) path 302. I/O path 302 may provide content (e.g.,broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, contentavailable over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN),and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 304, which includesprocessing circuitry 306 and storage 308. Control circuitry 304 may beused to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable datausing I/O path 302. I/O path 302 may connect control circuitry 304 (andspecifically processing circuitry 306) to one or more communicationspaths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more ofthese communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 3 toavoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 306. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments,processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separateprocessors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same typeof processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multipledifferent processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Corei7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 executesinstructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (i.e.,storage 308). Specifically, control circuitry 304 may be instructed bythe media guidance application to perform the functions discussed aboveand below. For example, the media guidance application may provideinstructions to control circuitry 304 to generate the media guidancedisplays. In some implementations, any action performed by controlcircuitry 304 may be based on instructions received from the mediaguidance application.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 304 may includecommunications circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidanceapplication server or other networks or servers. The instructions forcarrying out the above mentioned functionality may be stored on theguidance application server. Communications circuitry may include acable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, adigital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card,or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or anyother suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involvethe Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths(which is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 4). Inaddition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enablespeer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices, or communicationof user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (describedin more detail below).

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 308 thatis part of control circuitry 304. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD)recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,digital video recorders (DVR, sometimes called a personal videorecorder, or PVR), solid state devices, quantum storage devices, gamingconsoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storagedevices, and/or any combination of the same. Storage 308 may be used tostore various types of content described herein as well as mediaguidance information, described above, and guidance application data,described above. Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch aboot-up routine and other instructions). Cloud-based storage, describedin relation to FIG. 4, may be used to supplement storage 308 or insteadof storage 308.

Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided.Control circuitry 304 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting content into the preferred output format of the userequipment 300. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used by the user equipment device to receive and todisplay, to play, or to record content. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitrydescribed herein, including for example, the tuning, video generating,encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digitalcircuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or moregeneral purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may beprovided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and recordfunctions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording,etc.). If storage 308 is provided as a separate device from userequipment 300, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multipletuners) may be associated with storage 308.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 304 using user inputinterface 310. User input interface 310 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. Display 312 may be providedas a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300. Display 312 may be one or more of a monitor, atelevision, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, or anyother suitable equipment for displaying visual images. In someembodiments, display 312 may be HDTV-capable. In some embodiments,display 312 may be a 3D display, and the interactive media guidanceapplication and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A videocard or graphics card may generate the output to the display 312. Thevideo card may offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or theability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be anyprocessing circuitry described above in relation to control circuitry304. The video card may be integrated with control circuitry 304.Speakers 314 may be provided as integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units. The audio component ofvideos and other content displayed on display 312 may be played throughspeakers 314. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to areceiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers314.

The guidance application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application whollyimplemented on user equipment device 300. In such an approach,instructions of the application are stored locally, and data for use bythe application is downloaded on a periodic basis (e.g., from anout-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, or using another suitableapproach). In some embodiments, the media guidance application is aclient-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin clientimplemented on user equipment device 300 is retrieved on-demand byissuing requests to a server remote to the user equipment device 300. Inone example of a client-server based guidance application, controlcircuitry 304 runs a web browser that interprets web pages provided by aremote server.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded andinterpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or virtual machine (runby control circuitry 304). In some embodiments, the guidance applicationmay be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received bycontrol circuitry 304 as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by auser agent running on control circuitry 304. For example, the guidanceapplication may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, theguidance application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files thatare received and run by a local virtual machine or other suitablemiddleware executed by control circuitry 304. In some of suchembodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital mediaencoding schemes), the guidance application may be, for example, encodedand transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio andvideo packets of a program.

User equipment device 300 of FIG. 3 can be implemented in system 400 ofFIG. 4 as user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404,wireless user communications device 406, or any other type of userequipment suitable for accessing content, such as a non-portable gamingmachine. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to hereincollectively as user equipment or user equipment devices, and may besubstantially similar to user equipment devices described above. Userequipment devices, on which a media guidance application may beimplemented, may function as a standalone device or may be part of anetwork of devices. Various network configurations of devices may beimplemented and are discussed in more detail below.

A user equipment device utilizing at least some of the system featuresdescribed above in connection with FIG. 3 may not be classified solelyas user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or awireless user communications device 406. For example, user televisionequipment 402 may, like some user computer equipment 404, beInternet-enabled allowing for access to Internet content, while usercomputer equipment 404 may, like some television equipment 402, includea tuner allowing for access to television programming. The mediaguidance application may have the same layout on various different typesof user equipment or may be tailored to the display capabilities of theuser equipment. For example, on user computer equipment 404, theguidance application may be provided as a web site accessed by a webbrowser. In another example, the guidance application may be scaled downfor wireless user communications devices 406.

In system 400, there is typically more than one of each type of userequipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize morethan one type of user equipment device and also more than one of eachtype of user equipment device.

In some embodiments, a user equipment device (e.g., user televisionequipment 402, user computer equipment 404, wireless user communicationsdevice 406) may be referred to as a “second screen device.” For example,a second screen device may supplement content presented on a first userequipment device. The content presented on the second screen device maybe any suitable content that supplements the content presented on thefirst device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides aninterface for adjusting settings and display preferences of the firstdevice. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured forinteracting with other second screen devices or for interacting with asocial network. The second screen device can be located in the same roomas the first device, a different room from the first device but in thesame house or building, or in a different building from the firstdevice.

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent mediaguidance application settings across in-home devices and remote devices.Settings include those described herein, as well as channel and programfavorites, programming preferences that the guidance applicationutilizes to make programming recommendations, display preferences, andother desirable guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channelas a favorite on, for example, the web site www.allrovi.com on theirpersonal computer at their office, the same channel would appear as afavorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g., user television equipmentand user computer equipment) as well as the user's mobile devices, ifdesired. Therefore, changes made on one user equipment device can changethe guidance experience on another user equipment device, regardless ofwhether they are the same or a different type of user equipment device.In addition, the changes made may be based on settings input by a user,as well as user activity monitored by the guidance application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 414.Namely, user television equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, andwireless user communications device 406 are coupled to communicationsnetwork 414 via communications paths 408, 410, and 412, respectively.Communications network 414 may be one or more networks including theInternet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or data network (e.g., a4G or LTE network), cable network, public switched telephone network, orother types of communications network or combinations of communicationsnetworks. Paths 408, 410, and 412 may separately or together include oneor more communications paths, such as, a satellite path, a fiber-opticpath, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g.,IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wirelesssignals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications path orcombination of such paths. Path 412 is drawn with dotted lines toindicate that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 it is awireless path and paths 408 and 410 are drawn as solid lines to indicatethey are wired paths (although these paths may be wireless paths, ifdesired). Communications with the user equipment devices may be providedby one or more of these communications paths, but are shown as a singlepath in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Although communications paths are not drawn between user equipmentdevices, these devices may communicate directly with each other viacommunication paths, such as those described above in connection withpaths 408, 410, and 412, as well other short-range point-to-pointcommunication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wirelesspaths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or othershort-range communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is acertification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG, INC. The user equipmentdevices may also communicate with each other directly through anindirect path via communications network 414.

System 400 includes content source 416, media guidance data source 418,and remote server 415 coupled to communications network 414 viacommunication paths 420, 422, and 417 respectively. Paths 420, 422, and417 may include any of the communication paths described above inconnection with paths 408, 410, and 412. Communications with the contentsource 416, media guidance data source 418, and remote server 415 may beexchanged over one or more communications paths, but are shown as asingle path in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. Inaddition, there may be more than one of each of content source 416,media guidance data source 418, and remote server 415, but only one ofeach is shown in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (Thedifferent types of each of these sources are discussed below.) Ifdesired, content source 416 and media guidance data source 418 may beintegrated as one source device. Although communications between sources416, 418, and 415 with user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 areshown as through communications network 414, in some embodiments,sources 416, 418, and 415 may communicate directly with user equipmentdevices 402, 404, and 406 via communication paths (not shown) such asthose described above in connection with paths 408, 410, and 412.

Content source 416 may include one or more types of content distributionequipment including a television distribution facility, cable systemheadend, satellite distribution facility, programming sources (e.g.,television broadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediatedistribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demandmedia servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned bythe National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by theABC, INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by the Home Box Office, Inc.Content source 416 may be the originator of content (e.g., a televisionbroadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) or may not be the originator ofcontent (e.g., an on-demand content provider, an Internet provider ofcontent of broadcast programs for downloading, etc.). Content source 416may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers,Internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other providersof content. Content source 416 may also include a remote media serverused to store different types of content (including video contentselected by a user), in a location remote from any of the user equipmentdevices. Systems and methods for remote storage of content, andproviding remotely stored content to user equipment are discussed ingreater detail in connection with Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,761,892,issued Jul. 20, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

Media guidance data source 418 may provide media guidance data, such asthe media guidance data described above. Media guidance application datamay be provided to the user equipment devices using any suitableapproach. In some embodiments, the guidance application may be astand-alone interactive television program guide that receives programguidance data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or trickle feed).Program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to theuser equipment on a television channel sideband, using an in-banddigital signal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any othersuitable data transmission technique. Program schedule data and othermedia guidance data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analogor digital television channels.

In some embodiments, guidance data from media guidance data source 418may be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. Forexample, a user equipment device may pull media guidance data from aserver, or a server may push media guidance data to a user equipmentdevice. In some embodiments, a guidance application client residing onthe user's equipment may initiate sessions with source 418 to obtainguidance data when needed, e.g., when the guidance data is out of dateor when the user equipment device receives a request from the user toreceive data. Media guidance may be provided to the user equipment withany suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, a user-specifiedperiod of time, a system-specified period of time, in response to arequest from user equipment, etc.). Media guidance data source 418 mayprovide user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 the media guidanceapplication itself or software updates for the media guidanceapplication.

Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-aloneapplications implemented on user equipment devices. For example, themedia guidance application may be implemented as software or a set ofexecutable instructions which may be stored in storage 308, and executedby control circuitry 304 of a user equipment device 300. In someembodiments, media guidance applications may be client-serverapplications where only a client application resides on the userequipment device, and server application resides on a remote server. Forexample, media guidance applications may be implemented partially as aclient application on control circuitry 304 of user equipment device 300and partially on a remote server as a server application (e.g., mediaguidance data source 418) running on control circuitry of the remoteserver. When executed by control circuitry of the remote server (such asmedia guidance data source 418), the media guidance application mayinstruct control circuitry to generate the guidance application displaysand transmit the generated displays to the user equipment devices. Theserver application may instruct control circuitry of the media guidancedata source 418 to transmit data for storage on the user equipment. Theclient application may instruct control circuitry of the receiving userequipment to generate the guidance application displays.

Content and/or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices402, 404, and 406 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT contentdelivery allows Internet-enabled user devices, including any userequipment device described above, to receive content that is transferredover the Internet, including any content described above, in addition tocontent received over cable or satellite connections. OTT content isdelivered via an Internet connection provided by an Internet serviceprovider (ISP), but a third party distributes the content. The ISP maynot be responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, orredistribution of the content, and may only transfer IP packets providedby the OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content providers includeYOUTUBE, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio and video via IPpackets. Youtube is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is atrademark owned by Netflix Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu,LLC. OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively providemedia guidance data described above. In addition to content and/or mediaguidance data, providers of OTT content can distribute media guidanceapplications (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications),or the content can be displayed by media guidance applications stored onthe user equipment device.

Media guidance system 400 is intended to illustrate a number ofapproaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devicesand sources of content and guidance data may communicate with each otherfor the purpose of accessing content and providing media guidance. Theembodiments described herein may be applied in any one or a subset ofthese approaches, or in a system employing other approaches fordelivering content and providing media guidance. The following fourapproaches provide specific illustrations of the generalized example ofFIG. 4.

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each otherwithin a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with eachother directly via short-range point-to-point communication schemesdescribed above, via indirect paths through a hub or other similardevice provided on a home network, or via communications network 414.Each of the multiple individuals in a single home may operate differentuser equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may bedesirable for various media guidance information or settings to becommunicated between the different user equipment devices. For example,it may be desirable for users to maintain consistent media guidanceapplication settings on different user equipment devices within a homenetwork, as described in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types ofuser equipment devices in a home network may also communicate with eachother to transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content fromuser computer equipment to a portable video player or portable musicplayer.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment bywhich they access content and obtain media guidance. For example, someusers may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobiledevices. Users may control in-home devices via a media guidanceapplication implemented on a remote device. For example, users mayaccess an online media guidance application on a website via a personalcomputer at their office, or a mobile device such as a PDA orweb-enabled mobile telephone. The user may set various settings (e.g.,recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidanceapplication to control the user's in-home equipment. The online guidemay control the user's equipment directly, or by communicating with amedia guidance application on the user's in-home equipment. Varioussystems and methods for user equipment devices communicating, where theuser equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, isdiscussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,046,801, issuedOct. 25, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outsidea home can use their media guidance application to communicate directlywith content source 416 to access content. Specifically, within a home,users of user television equipment 402 and user computer equipment 404may access the media guidance application to navigate among and locatedesirable content. Users may also access the media guidance applicationoutside of the home using wireless user communications devices 406 tonavigate among and locate desirable content.

In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate in a cloudcomputing environment to access cloud services. In a cloud computingenvironment, various types of computing services for content sharing,storage or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networkingsites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing andstorage resources, referred to as “the cloud.” For example, the cloudcan include a collection of server computing devices, which may belocated centrally or at distributed locations, that provide cloud-basedservices to various types of users and devices connected via a networksuch as the Internet via communications network 414. These cloudresources may include one or more content sources 416, one or more mediaguidance data sources 418, and one or more remote servers 415. Inaddition or in the alternative, the remote computing sites may includeother user equipment devices, such as user television equipment 402,user computer equipment 404, and wireless user communications device406. For example, the other user equipment devices may provide access toa stored copy of a video or a streamed video. In such embodiments, userequipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer manner withoutcommunicating with a central server such as remote server 415.

The cloud provides access to services, such as content storage, contentsharing, or social networking services, among other examples, as well asaccess to any content described above, for user equipment devices.Services can be provided in the cloud through cloud computing serviceproviders, or through other providers of online services. For example,the cloud-based services can include a content storage service, acontent sharing site, a social networking site, or other services viawhich user-sourced content is distributed for viewing by others onconnected devices. These cloud-based services may allow a user equipmentdevice to store content to the cloud and to receive content from thecloud rather than storing content locally and accessing locally-storedcontent. In addition, a user may store a personalized program lineup onthe cloud, such as at remote server 415, and access the personalizedprogram lineup from any one of the user equipment devices 402, 404, or406.

A user may use various content capture devices, such as camcorders,digital cameras with video mode, audio recorders, mobile phones, andhandheld computing devices, to record content. The user can uploadcontent to a content storage service on the cloud either directly, forexample, from user computer equipment 404 or wireless usercommunications device 406 having content capture feature. Alternatively,the user can first transfer the content to a user equipment device, suchas user computer equipment 404. The user equipment device storing thecontent uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmissionservice on communications network 414. In some embodiments, the userequipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipmentdevices can access the content directly from the user equipment deviceon which the user stored the content.

Cloud resources may be accessed by a user equipment device using, forexample, a web browser, a media guidance application, a desktopapplication, a mobile application, and/or any combination of accessapplications or the same. The user equipment device may be a cloudclient that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or theuser equipment device may have some functionality without access tocloud resources. For example, some applications running on the userequipment device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications deliveredas a service over the Internet, while other applications may be storedand run on the user equipment device. In some embodiments, a user devicemay receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. Forexample, a user device can stream audio from one cloud resource whiledownloading content from a second cloud resource. Or, a user device candownload content from multiple cloud resources for more efficientdownloading. In some embodiments, user equipment devices can use cloudresources for processing operations such as the processing operationsperformed by processing circuitry described in relation to FIG. 3.

In some embodiments, media guidance system 400 may allow the user tocreate a customized program lineup. As used herein, “customized programlineup” and “personalized program lineup” refer to a sequence of mediaassets that has been modified from the originally-scheduled sequence ofmedia assets. One or more media content sources 416 may transmit aplurality of media assets in a first sequence according to scheduledtransmission times. A user equipment device, such as user televisionequipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or wireless user device 406,may receive program guidance data associated with each of the pluralityof media assets from media guidance data source 418. Based on theprogram guidance data, control circuitry 304 may generate a programguide screen on display 312 which presents the plurality of media assetsin the first sequence according to their scheduled transmission times,as discussed above in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The program guidance data received from media guidance data source 418may include information on the availability window associated with eachof the plurality of media assets. In alternate embodiments, dataindicating the availability windows may be received separately from theprogram guidance data, for example from media content source 416 orremote server 415.

The availability window associated with a media asset indicates acombination of time intervals and/or content sources over which themedia asset may be accessed. For example, the availability window may bea single continuous interval of time on one content source, or severaldisjointed intervals of time distributed across many content sources. Insome embodiments, the availability window may extend prior to theoriginally-scheduled transmission time associated with the media asset,allowing a user to request early access to the media asset. This may bepossible for reruns of programs where, for example, a digital copy isavailable for streaming from media content source 416 or remote server415. However, for live broadcasts or first showings of media assets, themedia asset may be unavailable earlier than the originally scheduledtransmission time. The availability window may also extend past theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the media asset, allowing auser to delay transmission to a more convenient time. The media guidancedata source 418 and/or user equipment 300 may store past programguidance data for a set amount of time, allowing a user to view pastprogram listings and possibly shift missed programs to a future time forviewing.

The availability window may also denote a single content source or apredetermined set of content sources over which a media asset may beaccessed. For convenience, the content sources may be referred to in theexamples depicted herein as broadcast channels, but the content sourcesmay also be non-broadcast-based content sources, such as an Internetserver, VOD server, a content service provider, or other remote servers.In some embodiments, the availability window for a media asset may onlyallow the media asset to be shifted within a single content source. Thismay be desirable to a content provider, for example, to keep a programfrom being shifted to a competitor's channel. For similar reasons, theavailability window may restrict an asset to a predetermined set ofcontent sources. For example, a program which is scheduled to broadcaston ABC may be restricted to other channels associated with the AmericanBroadcasting Company, such as ABC Family.

Users may navigate on the program guide screen, such as the displayscreens illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, using user input interface 310.The user may select a media asset, for example, by highlighting theasset using highlight indicator 110 and pressing a “select” orequivalent key on user input interface 310. Upon highlighting orselecting a media asset, control circuitry 304 may present the user withthe availability window associated with the media asset, either througha separate availability window information screen as discussed below inrelation to FIGS. 5-7 or by highlighting a region directly on grid 102corresponding to the availability window, as discussed below in relationto FIG. 8.

Control circuitry 304 may receive a user request to shift a selectedmedia asset to an alternate time and/or content source. In someembodiments, the user request may be a selection of an alternate time ongrid 102 using highlight region 110. In other embodiments, the user maybe presented with an option in options region 126 to input a time andcontent source to access the selected media asset. The specified timemay occur on any suitable increment of time, such as a half-hour, hour,or other user-defined increment of time. For example, specifying timesin half-hour increments may allow the user to easily swap programs andrearrange originally scheduled programming. Alternatively, the user maydefine a custom start time for a media asset such that it overlaps twoor more scheduled media assets.

Upon receiving the user request, control circuitry 304 determineswhether the requested time and content source falls within theavailability window of the selected media asset. If the requested timeor content source does not fall with the availability window, controlcircuitry 304 may optionally generate a notification to the user thatthe request cannot be processed. If the requested time and contentsource falls within the availability window, control circuitry 304 maydetermine whether the user has the necessary permissions to make theshift. For example, media content source 416 may charge a fee forproviding the ability to create customized program lineups. In somecases, the shifting of a media asset from its originally-scheduledtransmission time/content source may be associated with a one-time fee.Control circuitry 304 may prompt the user for payment at any suitabletime, such as at the time a customized program lineup is created, at thetime a user-requested media asset is delivered, or after auser-requested media asset is delivered. In alternate embodiments, theuser may purchase a subscription which allows either a limited or anunlimited number of shifts within a predetermined set of contentsources. For example, the user may subscribe to ABC's premium service,allowing the user to shift media assets across any of the channelsassociated with the American Broadcasting Company.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 may transmit the request tomedia content source 416 to determine whether the user has permission toshift the media asset. Media content source 416 may determine the user'ssubscription status and whether payment has been made or will be billedto the user in the future. Once the user's subscription status orpayment information is verified, media content source 416 may transmitpermissions data to user equipment 300 confirming that the user may makethe requested shift. In some embodiments, the permissions data may beincluded in the user profile stored at the user equipment, remote server415, media content source 416, or a combination of the above.

In some embodiments, the permissions data may include a list of one ormore remote servers 415 that may provide the requested media asset atthe requested time. For example, remote server 415 may comprise anInternet source which may stream the requested media asset to userequipment 300. In some embodiments, the permissions data may alsoinclude access rights to the list of remote servers 415. For example,the permissions data may include an access key which allows controlcircuitry 304 to access media content from remote server 415, whereasthe media content might otherwise not be available to users without theaccess key.

Once control circuitry 304 has verified that the user has the necessarypermissions to make the shift, control circuitry 304 may update theprogram guide screen with the selected media asset at the requested timeand content source. In some embodiments, the program guide screen isupdated only for the user who requested the personalized program lineup.The program guide screen for other users in the distribution network maystill display the original media assets at their regularly scheduledtransmission times.

In some embodiments, the selected media asset may replace theoriginally-scheduled media asset at the requested time such that theoriginally-scheduled media asset is “overwritten.” In alternateembodiments, control circuitry 304 may swap the transmission times ofthe selected media asset and the originally-scheduled media asset. Insuch embodiments, control circuitry 304 may receive a user selection ofa first media asset and a second media asset. Control circuitry 304 maydetermine whether the scheduled transmission time and content sourceassociated with the second media asset falls within the availabilitywindow of the first media asset. If the scheduled transmission time andcontent source of the second media asset does not fall within theavailability window of the first media asset, the processing device maygenerate a notification to the user that the request cannot beprocessed. If the scheduled transmission time and content source of thesecond media asset falls within the availability window of the firstmedia asset, control circuitry 304 may update the program guide screenwith the first media asset at the transmission time and content sourceof the second media asset. If the transmission time and content sourceof the first media asset also falls within the availability windowassociated with the second media asset, control circuitry 304 mayfurther update the program guide screen with the second media asset atthe transmission time and content source of the first media asset. Insome embodiments, the program guide screen is updated only for the userwho requested the personalized program lineup. The program guide screenfor other users may display the original media assets at their regularlyscheduled transmission times.

In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 may, in response to a userrequest to shift a media asset, rearrange the media assets that areaffected by the user request. For example, control circuitry 304 mayautomatically shift the affected media assets forward or backward suchthat the requested media asset is “inserted” into the program lineupwithout a loss of programming. Furthermore, the processing device maydetermine whether related media assets should be rearranged into anoriginal order, such as an original broadcast order or episode order.For example, if a later episode of a series is moved before an earlierepisode of the same series, the processing device may query the user torearrange the episodes in their original broadcast or episode order.Related media assets may be identified in any suitable manner. Forexample, related media assets may be identified by comparing programguidance data and matching program titles, series titles, episodenumbers, or series IDs.

In some embodiments, media content source 416 or remote server 415 mayprovide media assets that may not be associated with a particulartransmission time, such as VOD or Internet-delivered video. These mediaassets may be specifically designed to be streamed or otherwiseavailable on demand at a user-requested time. Such assets may beintegrated into the personalized program lineup along with scheduledmedia assets. In particular, these “on-demand” assets may be associatedwith availability windows which allow access at any time and on anycontent source.

Control circuitry 304 may store the personalized program lineup onto anysuitable electronic storage device. The electronic storage device mayreside within user equipment device 300, such as storage device 308, ata remote server 415, or a combination of the two. In embodiments wherethe personalized program lineup is stored at a remote server, thepersonalized program lineup may be synchronized across multiple userequipment devices using the cloud-based services as described above. Forexample, a user may construct a personalized program lineup on a firstuser equipment device, such as a mobile phone 406, store thepersonalized program lineup at a remote server 415, and access theprogram lineup on a second user equipment device, such as usertelevision equipment 402. The various user equipment devices may beassociated with any suitable interactive application for allowing theuser to define a personalized program lineup, such as an interactiveguidance application running on a set-top-box, a web browser accessedfrom a personal computer, a mobile application running on a mobilephone, or any other suitable user interface as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, media guidance system 400 may deliver contentaccording to a personalized program lineup to any one of user televisionequipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or wireless usercommunications device 406. Control circuitry 304 may receive a requestto access media content source 416 and subsequently retrieve apersonalized program lineup which has been stored on electronic storagedevice 308 or on a similar storage device at remote server 415. Based onthe personalized program lineup, control circuitry 304 may determine, atthe time of the request, whether the user has requested a differentmedia asset than the originally scheduled media asset to be transmittedby media content source 416. If the user has not requested a differentmedia asset, then control circuitry 304 may receive and playback theoriginally scheduled transmission from media content source 416. If theuser has requested a different media asset, then control circuitry 304may automatically receive the different media asset and provide it tothe user instead of the originally-scheduled media asset. In someembodiments, control circuitry 304 may transmit a request to mediacontent source 416 and receive the media asset directly from mediacontent source 416 at the requested time. In other embodiments, mediacontent source 416 may access an external server, such as remote server415, to provide the media asset at the requested time. For example,remote server 415 may be a VOD server associated with media contentsource 416 capable of providing the different media asset on-demand atthe requested time. In yet other embodiments, control circuitry 304 mayreceive the media asset directly from remote server 415. For example,remote server 415 may be a third-party Internet streaming server, suchas those provided by YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu. In these embodiments,control circuitry 304 may need to access certain access rights forremote server 415, such as an access key, access code, or passwordprovided by media content source 416.

In some embodiments, the request to access the content source may comein the middle of a media asset to be received according to thepersonalized program lineup. For example, the user may request anepisode of “Modern Family” to air on ABC at 7 pm, but not tune to ABCuntil 7:15, halfway through the episode. In such embodiments, controlcircuitry 304 may access the personalized program lineup and determinethe first media asset scheduled to be broadcast prior to the currenttime. If the media asset to be broadcast at the current time is auser-requested media asset, control circuitry 304 may transmit a requestto media content source 416 or remote server 415 to provide theuser-requested media asset starting at an intermediate pointcorresponding to the current time. In the example provided above, mediacontent source 416 or remote server 415 would provide the episode of“Modern Family” starting 15 minutes into the episode.

After playback of the user-requested media asset completes, controlcircuitry 304 may access the personalized program lineup andautomatically determine the next media asset scheduled to be receivedaccording to the personalized program lineup. If the next media asset tobe received is a user-requested media asset, control circuitry 304 mayautomatically transmit a request to media content source 416 or remoteserver 415 to provide the different media asset and subsequently receiveand playback the different media asset. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 304 transmits the request prior to the completion of theprevious media asset and buffers the next media asset in storage 308 inanticipation of playback. In this manner, media assets are automaticallydelivered to user equipment 300 according to the personalized programlineup without further user input, providing a seamless integration ofrequested assets at user-specified times and originally-scheduled mediaassets. At the same time, other users in the media distribution network,such as system 400, may continue to receive the media assets from thecontent source at their originally-scheduled times. In some embodiments,these other users may also define customized program lineups, allowingeach user in media distribution network 400 to have a different programlineup and receive the media assets at times which are most convenientfor them.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative display screen 500 presenting anavailability window associated with a media asset in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example,availability window information screen 530 is generated by controlcircuitry 304 as an overlay above an interactive media guidanceapplication screen similar to the display screen shown in FIG. 1. Inalternate embodiments, the availability window information screen 530may also be overlaid over other interactive media guidance applicationscreens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over a media asset that iscurrently being viewed by the user. In still other embodiments, theavailability window information screen 530 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Similar to FIG. 1, display screen 500 consists of a program informationregion 512, a video region 522, a grid 502, and options region 526. Grid502 may include rows indicating different channels or content sourcesand columns indicating a time block of programming. The time blocks maybe given in any suitable time interval, such as half-hour increments.Each cell in the grid 502 may comprise a program listing, which providesthe title of the program provided on the associated content source andtime. The program listing may also include additional information,either within the cell or in program information region 512. The usermay be able to scroll the grid 502 to see future or past listings usinguser input interface 310, either by moving highlight region 510 or byselecting a dedicated scroll indicator, such as indicator 520.Electronic storage 308 may store past media guidance information for aset period of time, and a user request to scroll beyond this period oftime may result in the user equipment 300 transmitting a request tomedia guidance data source 418 and receiving further media guidanceinformation for the requested period of time.

Information related to the program listing highlighted by highlightregion 510 may be provided in program information region 512. Region 512may include, for example, the program title, the program description,the time the program is provided, the channel or content source theprogram is on, the program's rating, a series name, or an episodenumber. The region 512 may also include a brief description of theavailability window of the highlighted media asset, such as a timeinterval and set of content sources over which the asset may bereceived.

Video region 522 may allow the user to view and/or preview programs thatare currently available, will be available, or were available to theuser. The content of video region 522 may correspond to, or beindependent from, one of the listings displayed in grid 502. Forexample, the video region 522 may provide a live feed, a preview, or anadvertisement associated with the program listing which is currentlyhighlighted by highlight region 510. The video and audio of the contentmay continue even when the availability window information screen 530 isoverlaid on display 500 to provide an uninterrupted experience to theuser. In embodiments where the availability window information screen isa full-screen display, the audio of the content in video region 522 maycontinue.

Options region 526 may be part of the display 500, or may be invoked bythe user by selecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated orassignable button on user input interface 310. For example, the user maybe allowed to select a program listing by highlighting a listing withhighlight region 510 and pressing an “enter”, “select”, or anotherdedicated or assignable key on the user input interface 310. Selecting alisting may highlight the listing in a different shade, color, orotherwise visually distinguish the listing from unselected listings. Inresponse to a user highlighting or selecting a listing, controlcircuitry 304 may generate options in options region 526 concerning thehighlighted or selected listing, including viewing additional programinformation, searching for other transmission times or ways of receivingthe program, searching for related programs, setting a program and/orchannel as a favorite, purchasing a program, invoking availabilitywindow information screen 530, shifting a program from itsoriginally-scheduled transmission time and/or content source, orswapping the transmission times and content sources of two programs. Insome embodiments, the user may be able to select multiple listings,either by manually selecting individual listings or by selecting a rangeof listings between two selected listings. In response to the userselecting multiple listings, control circuitry 304 may generateadditional options in options region 526 concerning the selectedlistings. For instance, if the selected listings include listingsassociated with related media assets, such as episodes of the sameseries, the options region 526 may include an option to rearrange theepisodes into broadcast or series order.

Availability window information screen 530 may be generated by controlcircuitry 304 in response to a user request to view an availabilitywindow associated with a media asset. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 304 may detect a user highlighting or selecting a listing ingrid 520 and in response, display availability window information screen530. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availability windowinformation screen 530 by highlighting a listing with highlight region510 and pressing a dedicated or assignable button on user inputinterface 310. Control circuitry 304 may also generate the availabilitywindow information screen 530 while the user is currently watching amedia asset. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availabilitywindow information screen 530 by selecting an option in options region526. In yet other embodiments, the availability window informationscreen 530 may be automatically invoked without an explicit userrequest. For example, control circuitry 304 may detect a missed favoriteprogram, a missed reminder, or other detectable event and in response,prompt the user with availability window information screen 530.

Availability window information screen 530 may include a programinformation region 532, an available time indicator 534, a time selector535, a confirmation button 536, and a cancel button 538. Programinformation region 532 may provide similar information as programinformation region 512, such as title, series name, episode name,originally-scheduled transmission time, original channel or contentsource, parental rating, and popularity rating. In some embodiments,region 532 may additionally provide more detailed information, such asprogram descriptions, episode summaries, and reviews. In the exampledepicted in FIG. 5, the user has selected episode number 314 of theseries “Modern Family” which has an originally-scheduled transmissiontime of 7 pm.

The available time indicator 534 may indicate the interval or intervalsof time during which the media asset may be accessed, as defined by theavailability window. As discussed above, data regarding the availabilitywindow may be received by control circuitry 304 either together withmedia guidance data from media guidance data source 418, or separatelyfrom the media guidance data from media guidance data source 418 orremote server 415. The available time indicator 534 may display theavailable times in any suitable manner and in any suitable increments,including as a timeline, a range of values, selectable buttons, slidebar, or other interactive graphical element as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art. Furthermore, the available time indicator 534may show interactive graphical elements corresponding only to theavailable times as defined by the availability window of the mediaasset. Alternatively, the time indicator 534 may display interactivegraphical elements for all time slots, with elements corresponding tounavailable times shaded in grey or otherwise distinguished fromavailable times.

In the example depicted in FIG. 5, the available time indicator 534 isdisplayed as a scroll bar with thirty minute increments. Time selector535 is an interactive graphical element which highlights the currentlyselected time and may be moved by the user with user input interface310. When the availability window information screen 530 is firstinvoked, control circuitry 304 may initially highlight theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the media asset as the defaulttime using the time selector 535, as shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively,control circuitry 304 may also highlight the current time, or any otheruser-specified time, as the default time regardless of theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the media asset. The timeselector 535 may move in discrete time intervals, such as in thirtyminute intervals, or may move in a continuous manner, allowing the userto specify a custom start time.

Once the user has selected a desired transmission time using timeselector 535, the user may confirm his choice using the confirmationbutton 536 or cancel his choice using cancel button 538. Controlcircuitry 304 may subsequently determine whether a confirmed choiceindicates a requested time which is within the availability window ofthe media asset. If the requested time is within the availabilitywindow, control circuitry 304 may update the grid 502 to reflect themedia asset at the requested time. In some embodiments, the grid 500 isupdated only for the user who requested the personalized program lineup.The program guide screen for other users in the distribution network maydisplay the original media assets at their regularly scheduledtransmission times.

FIG. 6 shows another illustrative display screen 600 presenting anavailability window associated with a media asset in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example,availability window information screen 630 is generated by controlcircuitry 304 as an overlay above an interactive media guidanceapplication screen similar to the display screen shown in FIG. 1. Inalternate embodiments, the availability window information screen 630may also be overlaid over other interactive media guidance applicationscreens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over a media asset that iscurrently being viewed by the user. In still other embodiments, theavailability window information screen 630 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Similar to FIG. 1, display screen 600 consists of a program informationregion 612, a video region 622, a grid 602, and options region 626. Grid602 may include rows indicating different channels or content sourcesand columns indicating a time block of programming. The time blocks maybe given in any suitable time interval, such as half-hour increments.Each cell in the grid 602 may comprise a program listing, which providesthe title of the program provided on the associated content source andtime. The program listing may also include additional information,either within the cell or in program information region 612. The usermay be able to scroll the grid 602 to see future or past listings usinguser input interface 310, either by moving highlight region 610 or byselecting a dedicated scroll indicator, such as indicator 620.Electronic storage 308 may store past media guidance information for aset period of time, and a user request to scroll beyond this period oftime may result in the user equipment 300 transmitting a request tomedia guidance data source 418 and receiving further media guidanceinformation for the requested period of time.

Information related to the program listing highlighted by highlightregion 610 may be provided in program information region 612. Region 612may include, for example, the program title, the program description,the time the program is provided, the channel or content source theprogram is on, the program's rating, a series name, or an episodenumber. The region 612 may also include a brief description of theavailability window of the highlighted media asset, such as a timeinterval and set of content sources over which the asset may bereceived.

Video region 622 may allow the user to view and/or preview programs thatare currently available, will be available, or were available to theuser. The content of video region 622 may correspond to, or beindependent from, one of the listings displayed in grid 602. Forexample, the video region 622 may provide a live feed, a preview, or anadvertisement associated with the program listing which is currentlyhighlighted by highlight region 610. The video and audio of the contentmay continue even when the availability window information screen 630 isoverlaid on display 600 to provide an uninterrupted experience to theuser. In embodiments where the availability window information screen630 is a full-screen display, the audio of the content in video region622 may continue.

Options region 626 may be part of the display 600, or may be invoked bythe user by selecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated orassignable button on user input interface 310. For example, the user maybe allowed to select a program listing by highlighting a listing withhighlight region 610 and pressing an “enter”, “select”, or anotherdedicated or assignable key on the user input interface 310. Selecting alisting may highlight the listing in a different shade, color, orotherwise visually distinguish the listing from unselected listings. Inresponse to a user highlighting or selecting a listing, controlcircuitry 304 may generate options in options region 626 concerning thehighlighted or selected listing, including viewing additional programinformation, searching for other transmission times or ways of receivingthe program, searching for related programs, setting a program and/orchannel as a favorite, purchasing a program, invoking availabilitywindow information screen 630, shifting a program from itsoriginally-scheduled transmission time and/or content source, orswapping the transmission times and content sources of two programs. Insome embodiments, the user may be able to select multiple listings,either by manually selecting individual listings or by selecting a rangeof listings between two selected listings. In response to the userselecting multiple listings, control circuitry 304 may generateadditional options in options region 626 concerning the selectedlistings. For instance, if the selected listings include listingsassociated with related media assets, such as episodes of the sameseries, the options region 626 may include an option to rearrange theepisodes into broadcast or series order.

Availability window information screen 630 may be generated by controlcircuitry 304 in response to a user request to view an availabilitywindow associated with a media asset. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 304 may detect a user highlighting or selecting a listing ingrid 620 and in response, display availability window information screen630. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availability windowinformation screen 630 by highlighting a listing with highlight region610 and pressing a dedicated or assignable button on user inputinterface 310. Control circuitry 304 may also generate the availabilitywindow information screen 630 while the user is currently watching amedia asset. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availabilitywindow information screen 630 by selecting an option in options region626. In yet other embodiments, the availability window informationscreen 630 may be automatically invoked without an explicit userrequest. For example, control circuitry 304 may detect a missed favoriteprogram, a missed reminder, or other detectable event and in response,prompt the user with availability window information screen 630.

Availability window information screen 630 may include a programinformation region 632, a subscription indicator 634, an availablecontent source indicator 636, a content source selector 637, anavailable time indicator 638, a time selector 639, a confirmation button640, and a cancel button 642. Program information region 632 may providesimilar information as program information region 612, such as title,series name, episode name, originally-scheduled transmission time,original channel or content source, parental rating, and popularityrating. In some embodiments, region 632 may additionally provide moredetailed information, such as program descriptions, episode summaries,and reviews. In the example depicted in FIG. 6, the user has selectedepisode number 314 of the series “Modern Family” which has anoriginally-scheduled transmission time of 7 pm.

The subscription indicator 634 may indicate a current subscriptionassociated with the user. Control circuitry 304 may retrievesubscription information from a user profile stored in storage 308, atremote server 415, or a combination of the two. In some embodiments,control circuitry 304 may query the media content source 416 or remoteserver 415 to provide subscription information associated with the user.The subscription information may include permissions and fees associatedwith shifting media assets within a predetermined set of channels orcontent sources. In the example depicted in FIG. 6, the user hassubscribed to a premium account associated with ABC, thus allowing theuser to shift media assets to any channel associated with the AmericanBroadcasting Company.

The available content source indicator 636 may indicate the contentsources within which the media asset may be shifted, as defined by theavailability window. The available content source indicator 636 maydisplay the available content sources in any suitable manner, includingas a scroll bar, selectable buttons, or other interactive graphicalelement as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art. The set ofavailable channels or content sources may be determined by controlcircuitry 304 from the availability window associated with the mediaasset. Control circuitry 304 may further determine from retrievedsubscription information associated with the user whether the user hasthe required permissions associated with the available content sources.If not, control circuitry 304 may display the available content sourcesas greyed out or otherwise distinguished from content sources to whichthe user has permission to shift the media asset.

Content source selector 637 is an interactive graphical element whichhighlights the currently selected content source and may be moved by theuser with user input interface 310. When the availability windowinformation screen 630 is first invoked, control circuitry 304 mayinitially highlight the original content source of the media asset asthe default content source using the content source selector 637, asshown in FIG. 6.

The available time indicator 638 may indicate the interval or intervalsof time during which the media asset may be accessed, as defined by theavailability window. As discussed above, data regarding the availabilitywindow may be received by control circuitry 304 either together withmedia guidance data from media guidance data source 418, or separatelyfrom the media guidance data from media guidance data source 418 orremote server 415. The available time indicator 638 may display theavailable times in any suitable manner and in any suitable increments,including as a timeline, a range of values, selectable buttons, slidebar, or other interactive graphical element as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art. Furthermore, the available time indicator 638may show interactive graphical elements corresponding only to theavailable times as defined by the availability window of the mediaasset. Alternatively, the time indicator 638 may display interactivegraphical elements for all time slots, with elements corresponding tounavailable times shaded in grey or otherwise distinguished fromavailable times.

In the example depicted in FIG. 6, the available time indicator 638 isdisplayed as a scroll bar with thirty minute increments. Time selector639 is an interactive graphical element which highlights the currentlyselected time and may be moved by the user with user input interface310. When the availability window information screen 630 is firstinvoked, control circuitry 304 may initially highlight theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the media asset as the defaulttime using the time selector 639, as shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively,control circuitry 304 may also highlight the current time, or any otheruser-specified time, as the default time regardless of theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the media asset. The timeselector 639 may move in discrete time intervals, such as in thirtyminute intervals, or may move in a continuous manner, allowing the userto specify a custom start time.

Once the user has selected a desired transmission time and contentsource using time selector 639 and content source selector 637, the usermay confirm his choice using the confirmation button 640 or cancel hischoice using cancel button 642. Control circuitry 304 may subsequentlydetermine whether a confirmed choice indicates a requested time andcontent source which is within the availability window of the mediaasset. If the requested time and content source is within theavailability window, control circuitry 304 may update the grid 602 toreflect the media asset at the requested time and content source. Insome embodiments, the program guide screen is updated only for the userwho requested the personalized program lineup. The program guide screenfor other users in the distribution network may display the originalmedia assets at their regularly scheduled transmission times.

FIG. 7 shows another illustrative display screen 700 presenting anavailability window associated with a media asset in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example,availability window information screen 730 is generated by controlcircuitry 304 as an overlay above an interactive media guidanceapplication screen similar to the display screen shown in FIG. 1. Inalternate embodiments, the availability window information screen 730may also be overlaid over other interactive media guidance applicationscreens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over a media asset that iscurrently being viewed by the user. In still other embodiments, theavailability window information screen 730 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Similar to FIG. 1, display screen 700 consists of a program informationregion 712, a video region 722, a grid 702, and options region 726. Grid702 may include rows indicating different channels or content sourcesand columns indicating a time block of programming. The time blocks maybe given in any suitable time interval, such as half-hour increments.Each cell in the grid 702 may comprise a program listing, which providesthe title of the program provided on the associated content source andtime. The program listing may also include additional information,either within the cell or in program information region 712. The usermay be able to scroll the grid 702 to see future or past listings usinguser input interface 310, either by moving highlight region 710 or byselecting a dedicated scroll indicator, such as indicator 720.Electronic storage 308 may store past media guidance information for aset period of time, and a user request to scroll beyond this period oftime may result in the user equipment 300 transmitting a request tomedia guidance data source 418 and receiving further media guidanceinformation for the requested period of time.

Information related to the program listing highlighted by highlightregion 710 may be provided in program information region 712. Region 712may include, for example, the program title, the program description,the time the program is provided, the channel or content source theprogram is on, the program's rating, a series name, or an episodenumber. The region 712 may also include a brief description of theavailability window of the highlighted media asset, such as a timeinterval and set of content sources over which the asset may bereceived.

Video region 722 may allow the user to view and/or preview programs thatare currently available, will be available, or were available to theuser. The content of video region 722 may correspond to, or beindependent from, one of the listings displayed in grid 702. Forexample, the video region 722 may provide a live feed, a preview, or anadvertisement associated with the program listing which is currentlyhighlighted by highlight region 710. The video and audio of the contentmay continue even when the availability window information screen 730 isoverlaid on display 700 to provide an uninterrupted experience to theuser. In embodiments where the availability window information screen730 is a full-screen display, the audio of the content in video region722 may continue.

Options region 726 may be part of the display 700, or may be invoked bythe user by selecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated orassignable button on user input interface 310. For example, the user maybe allowed to select a program listing by highlighting a listing withhighlight region 710 and pressing an “enter”, “select”, or anotherdedicated or assignable key on the user input interface 310. Selecting alisting may highlight the listing in a different shade, color, orotherwise visually distinguish the listing from unselected listings. Inresponse to a user highlighting or selecting a listing, controlcircuitry 304 may generate options in options region 726 concerning thehighlighted or selected listing, including viewing additional programinformation, searching for other transmission times or ways of receivingthe program, searching for related programs, setting a program and/orchannel as a favorite, purchasing a program, invoking availabilitywindow information screen 730, shifting a program from itsoriginally-scheduled transmission time and/or content source, orswapping the transmission times and content sources of two programs. Insome embodiments, the user may be able to select multiple listings,either by manually selecting individual listings or by selecting a rangeof listings between two selected listings. In response to the userselecting multiple listings, control circuitry 304 may generateadditional options in options region 726 concerning the selectedlistings. For instance, if the selected listings include listingsassociated with related media assets, such as episodes of the sameseries, the options region 726 may include an option to rearrange theepisodes into broadcast or series order.

Availability window information screen 730 may be generated by controlcircuitry 304 in response to a user request to view an availabilitywindow associated with a media asset. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 304 may detect a user highlighting or selecting a listing ingrid 720 and in response, display availability window information screen730. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availability windowinformation screen 730 by highlighting a listing with highlight region710 and pressing a dedicated or assignable button on user inputinterface 310. Control circuitry 304 may also generate the availabilitywindow information screen 730 while the user is currently watching amedia asset. In other embodiments, the user may invoke availabilitywindow information screen 730 by selecting an option in options region726. In yet other embodiments, the availability window informationscreen 730 may be automatically invoked without an explicit userrequest. For example, control circuitry 304 may detect a missed favoriteprogram, a missed reminder, or other detectable event and in response,prompt the user with availability window information screen 730.

Availability window information screen 730 may include a programinformation region 732, a subscription indicator 734, an availablecontent source indicator 736, a content source selector 737, anavailable time indicator 738, a time selector 739, a confirmation button740, a cancel button 742, and a “Show on Guide” button 750. Programinformation region 732 may provide similar information as programinformation region 712, such as title, series name, episode name,originally-scheduled transmission time, original channel or contentsource, parental rating, and popularity rating. In some embodiments,region 732 may additionally provide more detailed information, such asprogram descriptions, episode summaries, and reviews. In the exampledepicted in FIG. 7, the user has selected episode number 314 of theseries “Modern Family” which has an originally-scheduled transmissiontime of 7 pm.

The subscription indicator 734 may indicate a current subscriptionassociated with the user. Control circuitry 304 may retrievesubscription information from a user profile stored in storage 308, atremote server 415, or a combination of the two. In some embodiments,control circuitry 304 may query the media content source 416 or remoteserver 415 to provide subscription information associated with the user.The subscription information may include permissions and fees associatedwith shifting media assets within a predetermined set of channels orcontent sources. In the example depicted in FIG. 7, the user hassubscribed to a premium account associated with ABC, thus allowing theuser to shift media assets to any channel associated with the AmericanBroadcasting Company.

The available content source indicator 736 may indicate the contentsources within which the media asset may be shifted, as defined by theavailability window. FIG. 7 depicts the content source indicator 736 asa delimited list of available content sources, but the available contentsource indicator 736 may display the available content sources in anysuitable manner, including as, a scroll bar, selectable buttons, orother interactive graphical element as will be appreciated by oneskilled in the art. The set of available channels or content sources maybe determined by control circuitry 304 from the availability windowassociated with the media asset. Control circuitry 304 may furtherdetermine from retrieved subscription information associated with theuser whether the user has the required permissions associated with theavailable content sources. If not, control circuitry 304 may omit thecontent sources from display which are not permitted, display thesecontent sources as greyed out, or otherwise distinguish these contentsources from content sources to which the user has permission to shiftthe media asset.

Content source selector 737 is an interactive graphical element whichallows the user to select a channel or content source. In someembodiments, selecting content source selector 737 using user inputinterface 310 results in displaying an interactive list of the availablecontent sources, populated from the available content source indicator736. In other embodiments, each of the content sources listed in theavailable content source indicator 736 may comprise an interactive linkthat, when selected by the user, is displayed in content source selector737. Other methods for receiving a user request for a content source maybe used as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

The available time indicator 738 may indicate the interval or intervalsof time during which the media asset may be accessed, as defined by theavailability window. As discussed above, data regarding the availabilitywindow may be received by control circuitry 304 either together withmedia guidance data from media guidance data source 418, or separatelyfrom the media guidance data from media guidance data source 418 orremote server 415. In the example of FIG. 7, the available timeindicator 738 presents the available times during which the media assetmay be accessed for the current date. The available time indicator 738may also comprise selectable links which allow the user to select adifferent date and view the available times for the media asset for thatdate.

Time selector 739 is an interactive graphical element which allows theuser to input a desired start time for the media asset. In someembodiments, the user may input a time manually using numeric keys onuser input interface 310. In other embodiments, selecting the timeselector 739, for instance by pressing an “enter” or “select” key on theuser input interface 310, causes control circuitry 304 to generate alist of available times at predetermined increments selectable by theuser. Other methods for receiving a user request for a desired starttime may be used as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Once the user has selected a desired transmission time and contentsource using time selector 739 and content source selector 737, the usermay confirm his choice using the confirmation button 740 or cancel hischoice using cancel button 742. Control circuitry 304 may subsequentlydetermine whether a confirmed choice indicates a requested time andcontent source which is within the availability window of the mediaasset. If the requested time and content source is within theavailability window, control circuitry 304 may update the grid 702 toreflect the media asset at the requested time and content source. Insome embodiments, the program guide screen is updated only for the userwho requested the personalized program lineup. The program guide screenfor other users in the distribution network may display the originalmedia assets at their regularly scheduled transmission times.

FIG. 8 a shows an illustrative interactive media guidance applicationdisplay screen 800 with a first sequence of media assets in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. Similar to FIG. 1,display screen 800 includes a program information region 812, a videoregion 822, a grid 802, highlight region 810, and an options region 826,which are substantially similar to program information region 112, videoregion 122, grid 102, highlight region 110, and options region 126.Display screen 800 may be displayed in response to a user request toview an availability window associated with a highlighted or selectedmedia asset. For example, a user may highlight a program listing withhighlight region 810 and press a dedicated or assignable button on userinput interface 310 to view additional information regarding the mediaasset. In response, control circuitry 304 may highlight regions 830 and832 on grid 802 to display the availability window associated with thecurrently highlighted or selected media asset. Alternatively, the usermay select an option in options region 826 to view the availabilitywindow. In the example depicted in FIG. 8, the availability windowassociated with episode 314 of “Modern Family” is highlighted acrossseparate channels with highlight region 830 and 832.

The display screen 800 may also be invoked by pressing the “Show onGuide” button 750 depicted in FIG. 7. A similar button may also beintegrated into the availability window information screens 530 and 630depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6, and any variants thereof. In someembodiments, the “Show on Guide” button 750 may be pressed after theuser has input a desired content source and start time in content sourceselector 737 and time selector 739. In response, control circuitry mayhighlight the availability window associated with the media asset, asshown by highlight regions 830 and 832, and additionally distinguish theuser-requested time-block. For example, the user's selection may behighlighted in a different color from the rest of the availabilitywindow, providing the user with a visual representation of the requestedtime and content source.

The display screen 800 may also allow the user to select a media assetand “drag and drop” the media asset to an alternate time and/or contentsource within the availability window of the media asset. For example,the user may select episode 314 of “Modern Family” airing at 7 pm,scroll to the 8 pm time block, and “drop” the episode at the new timeblock by selecting the new time block. Alternatively, the user maydefine a new time for the episode using any one of the availabilitywindow information screens 530, 630, or 730.

In response to the user request to shift the episode to a new time,control circuitry 304 may determine whether the user requested time andcontent source fall within the availability window associated with themedia asset. Upon confirming that the new time and content source arewithin the availability window, control circuitry 304 may update thegrid 802 to display the media asset at the requested time and contentsource. FIG. 8 b shows an illustrative interactive media guidanceapplication display screen with a second sequence of media assets inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In theexample depicted in FIG. 8 b, episode 314 of “Modern Family” has beenmoved to the 8 pm timeslot. In some embodiments, control circuitry 304may optionally shift the other media assets forward such that therequested media asset is “inserted” into the program lineup without aloss of programming. In FIG. 8 b, episode 315 of “Modern Family” hasbeen shifted from 7:30 pm to 7 pm and “AFV” has been shifted from 8 pmto 7:30 pm, thereby allowing episode 314 of “Modern Family” to beinserted at the 8 pm timeslot without a loss of programming. Inalternative embodiments, the requested media asset may replace theoriginally-scheduled media asset at the requested time. For example,episode 314 of “Modern Family” may be broadcast at both the 7 pm and the8 pm timeslots, overwriting “AFV” at 8 pm. In still other embodiments,control circuitry 304 may swap the two media assets, such that episode314 of “Modern Family” is transmitted at 8 pm and “AFV” is transmittedat 7 pm.

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen 900 to shift amedia asset in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Confirmation screen 902 may be generated by controlcircuitry 304 in response to a user request to shift a media asset to anew time and/or content source. For example, control circuitry 304 maypresent the user with confirmation screen 902 after the user has input arequested time and/or content source into one of availability windowinformation screens 530, 630, or 730 and selected confirmation button536, 640, or 740. Alternatively, confirmation screen 902 may begenerated when the user selects an alternate time and/or content sourceusing the “drag and drop” feature as discussed above in relation toFIGS. 8 a and 8 b. In the example depicted in FIG. 9, the confirmationscreen 902 is generated by control circuitry 304 as an overlay above aninteractive media guidance application screen similar to the displayscreen shown in FIG. 1. In alternate embodiments, the confirmationscreen 902 may be overlaid over other interactive media guidanceapplication screens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over a mediaasset that is currently being viewed by the user. In still otherembodiments, the confirmation screen 902 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Confirmation screen 902 may include confirmation statement 904,confirmation button 912, and cancel button 914. The confirmationstatement 904 may include a media asset identifier field 906, a contentsource field 908, and time identifier field 910. The fields 906, 908,and 910 may be populated with the user's selections from one of theavailability window information screens 530, 630, or 730 oralternatively from the user's “drag and drop” selection on grid 802. Theuser may confirm the shift by selecting the confirm button 912 or cancelhis choice by selecting the cancel button 914. In response to a userselection of the confirm button 912, control circuitry 304 may determinewhether the user-requested time and content source fall within theavailability window of the media asset. If the user-requested time doesnot fall within the availability window of the media asset, controlcircuitry 304 may generate a notification to the user indicating thatthe requested move could not be completed. If the user-requested timefalls within the availability window of the media asset, controlcircuitry 304 may update the program guide screen to display the mediaasset at the requested time and content source. In response to a userselection of the cancel button 914, control circuitry 304 may return theuser back to one of the availability window information screens 530,630, or 730, the display screen 800, or the display screen 100.

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen 1000 withsubscription and fee information in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Confirmation screen 1002 may be generated bycontrol circuitry 304 in response to a user request to shift a mediaasset to a new time and/or content source. For example, controlcircuitry 304 may present the user with confirmation screen 1002 afterthe user has input a requested time and/or content source into one ofavailability window information screens 530, 630, or 730 and selectedconfirmation button 536, 640, or 740. Alternatively, confirmation screen1002 may be generated when the user selects an alternate time and/orcontent source using the “drag and drop” feature as discussed above inrelation to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b. In the example depicted in FIG. 10, theconfirmation screen 1002 is generated by control circuitry 304 as anoverlay above an interactive media guidance application screen similarto the display screen shown in FIG. 1. In alternate embodiments, theconfirmation screen 1002 may be overlaid over other interactive mediaguidance application screens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over amedia asset that is currently being viewed by the user. In still otherembodiments, the confirmation screen 1002 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Confirmation screen 1002 may include confirmation statement 1004,subscription statement 1012, confirmation button 1018, and cancel button1014. The confirmation statement 1004 may include a media assetidentifier field 1006, a content source field 1008, and time identifierfield 1010. The fields 1006, 1008, and 1010 may be populated with theuser's selections from one of the availability window informationscreens 530, 630, or 730 or alternatively from the user's “drag anddrop” selection on grid 802.

The subscription statement 1012 may include subscription field 1014 andfee field 1016. As described above, control circuitry 304 may retrievesubscription information from a user profile stored in storage 308, froma remote server 415, or a combination of the two. Control circuitry 304may also receive permissions data from media content source 416indicating whether the user may make the requested shift and anyassociated fees. In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 may querythe media content source 416 or remote server 415 to providesubscription information or permissions data associated with the user.The name of a subscription held by the user may be displayed insubscription field 1014. If no subscription is held by the user, such asin the example depicted in FIG. 10, the subscription field may indicate“None”. Control circuitry 304 may compare the user-requested contentsource with the content sources listed in the subscription informationto determine if payment is required for the requested shift. Inaddition, control circuitry 304 may access permissions data to determinethe fees associated with the requested shift. In the example depicted inFIG. 10, where no subscription is held, fee field 1016 may display aone-time fee associated with the shift. In some embodiments, theone-time fee may change depending on the requested content source ortime. For example, shifting a media asset to a primetime evening hourmay require a higher one-time fee than shifting the same media asset toan early morning hour.

The user may confirm the shift by selecting the confirm button 1018 orcancel his choice by selecting the cancel button 1020. In response to auser selection of the confirm button 1018, control circuitry 304 maydetermine whether the user-requested time and content source fall withinthe availability window of the media asset. If the user-requested timedoes not fall within the availability window of the media asset, controlcircuitry 304 may generate a notification to the user indicating thatthe requested move could not be completed. If the user-requested timefalls within the availability window of the media asset, controlcircuitry 304 may generate a payment screen requesting payment from theuser if a fee is required for the switch. The payment screen may processpayment through a credit card account, PayPal account, bank account, orother payment methods. In other embodiments, payment may be billeddirectly to a monthly bill associated with the user's service provider.In yet other embodiments, the payment may be processed by using credits,such as reward credits in a user account. Upon successful payment of anyfees required, control circuitry 304 may update the program guide screento display the media asset at the requested time and content source. Insome embodiments, the user may not be charged until the media asset isdelivered at the user-requested time and content source. In response toa user selection of the cancel button 1014, control circuitry 304 mayreturn the user back to one of the availability window informationscreens 530, 630, or 730, the display screen 800, or the display screen100.

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative confirmation display screen 1100 regardinga swap of a first and a second media asset in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. Confirmation screen 1102 may begenerated by control circuitry 304 in response to a user request toshift a media asset to a new time and/or content source. For example,control circuitry 304 may present the user with confirmation screen 1102after the user has input a requested time and/or content source into oneof availability window information screens 530, 630, or 730 and selectedconfirmation button 536, 640, or 740. Alternatively, confirmation screen1102 may be generated when the user selects an alternate time and/orcontent source using the “drag and drop” feature as discussed above inrelation to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b. For example, control circuitry 304 maygenerate confirmation screen 1102 in response to a user selection of afirst and a second media asset. In the example depicted in FIG. 11, theconfirmation screen 1102 is generated by control circuitry 304 as anoverlay above an interactive media guidance application screen similarto the display screen shown in FIG. 1. In alternate embodiments, theconfirmation screen 1102 may be overlaid over other interactive mediaguidance application screens, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, or over amedia asset that is currently being viewed by the user. In still otherembodiments, the confirmation screen 1102 may be a separate full-screendisplay.

Confirmation screen 1102 may include confirmation statement 1104,confirmation button 1114, and cancel button 1116. The confirmationstatement 1104 may include a first media asset identifier field 1106, afirst time identifier field 1108, a second media asset identifier field1110, and a second time identifier field 1112. The fields 1106 and 1108may be populated with the title of the first media asset and thetransmission time associated with the first media asset respectively.The fields 1110 and 112 may be populated with the title of the secondmedia asset and the transmission time associated with the second mediaasset. The user may confirm the swap by selecting the confirm button1114 or cancel his choice by selecting the cancel button 1116. Inresponse to a user selection of the confirm button 1114, controlcircuitry 304 may determine whether the transmission time and contentsource of the second media asset fall within the availability windowassociated with the first media asset. Additionally, control circuitry304 may determine whether the transmission time and content source ofthe first media asset fall within the availability window associatedwith the second media asset. If control circuitry 304 determines thateither the first or the second media asset is unable to be swapped tothe requested time, control circuitry 304 may generate a notification tothe user indicating that the requested swap could not be completed. Ifcontrol circuitry 304 determines that the transmission time and contentsource of both the first and the second media asset fall within theavailability window of the other, control circuitry 304 may update theprogram guide screen to display the first media asset at the originaltransmission time and content source of the second media asset and thesecond media asset at the original transmission time and content sourceof the first media asset. In response to a user selection of the cancelbutton 1116, control circuitry 304 may return the user back to one ofthe availability window information screens 530, 630, or 730, thedisplay screen 800, or the display screen 100.

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative confirmation screen to rearrange relatedmedia assets in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Confirmation screen 1202 may be generated by controlcircuitry 304 after control circuitry 304 has successfully shifted amedia asset to a user-requested time and/or content source. In someembodiments, control circuitry 304 may generate confirmation screen 1202in response to the user selecting multiple program listings, for examplein grid 102, and selecting an option in options region 126 to rearrangethe media assets. Control circuitry 304 may compare the media guidanceinformation associated with each of the program listings to identifyrelated media assets. For example, control circuitry 304 may compare thetitles, series name, series ID, or episode numbers to identify episodesof the same series. In the example depicted in FIG.12, control circuitry304 has detected several episodes of the series “Modern Family” and isrequesting confirmation from the user to rearrange the episodes into theoriginal episode order through confirmation screen 1202.

In the example depicted in FIG. 12, the confirmation screen 1202 isgenerated by control circuitry 304 as an overlay above an interactivemedia guidance application screen similar to the display screen shown inFIG. 1. In alternate embodiments, the confirmation screen 1202 may beoverlaid over other interactive media guidance application screens, suchas the one shown in FIG. 2, or over a media asset that is currentlybeing viewed by the user. In still other embodiments, the confirmationscreen 1202 may be a separate full-screen display.

Confirmation screen 1202 may include confirmation statement 1204,confirmation button 1208, and cancel button 1210. The confirmationstatement 1204 may include a related media asset identifier field 1206,which indicates a characteristic common between the related mediaassets. For example, the related media asset identifier field 1206 maydisplay the name of a series to which the related media assets belong.The user may confirm the rearrangement by selecting the confirm button1208 or cancel rearrangement by selecting the cancel button 1210. Inresponse to a user selection of the confirm button 1208, controlcircuitry 304 may determine an original order for the related mediaassets, for example based on the original transmission order for therelated media assets or an episode number associated with each of therelated media assets. Control circuitry 304 may identify an availabilitywindow and a transmission time associated with each of the related mediaassets and determine whether the related media assets may be shiftedinto the original order. If, based on the availability windows of therelated media assets, the media assets cannot be rearranged into theoriginal order, control circuitry 304 may generate a notification to theuser indicating that the requested rearrangement could not be completed.If control circuitry 304 determines that the media assets can berearranged into the original order, control circuitry 304 may update theprogram guide screen to display the related media assets in the originalorder. In response to a user selection of the cancel button 1210,control circuitry 304 may return the user back to one of theavailability window information screens 530, 630, or 730, the displayscreen 800, or the display screen 100.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flow diagram 1300 for defining a personalizedprogram lineup in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The steps of flow diagram 1300 are performed by a processingdevice, such as control circuitry 304 of user equipment 300. In certainembodiments, a similar processing device at remote server 415 mayperform the steps of flow diagram 1300, and in yet other embodiments,the steps of flow diagram 1300 may be performed by a combination ofprocessing devices at remote server 415 and one or more of userequipment 402, 404, and 406.

At step 1302, the processing device may receive program guidance datafrom media guidance data source 418. The program guidance data mayinclude information on a plurality of media assets, includingtransmission times, transmission channels or content sources, titles,descriptions, series names, series IDs, episode numbers, parentalratings, popularity ratings, critic's ratings, descriptions, summaries,reviews, genre or category information, actor information, logo data, orany other information related to the plurality of media assets. Inaddition, the program guidance data may include information on theavailability window associated with each of the plurality of mediaassets. In alternate embodiments, data indicating the availabilitywindows may be received separately from the program guidance data, forexample from media content source 416 or remote server 415.

At step 1304, the processing device may generate a program guide screenbased on the received program guidance data. The processing device maydisplay the plurality of media assets in a first sequence according totheir scheduled transmission times and content sources. Users maynavigate on the program guide screen, such as the display screensillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, using user input interface 310. Thestorage 308 at user equipment 300 and/or the media guidance data source418 may store past program guidance data up to a set amount of time,allowing the processing device to present past program listings in theprogram guide screen. The user may select a media asset, for example, byhighlighting the asset using highlight indicator 110 and pressing a“select” or equivalent key on user input interface 310. Upon selecting amedia asset, the processing device may display the availability windowassociated with the selected media asset, either through a separateavailability window information screen as discussed above in relation toFIGS. 5-7 or by highlighting a region directly on grid 102 correspondingto the availability window, as discussed above in relation to FIG. 8.

At step 1306, the processing device may receive a user request to shifta media asset to an alternate time and/or content source. In someembodiments, the user request may be a selection of an alternate time ongrid 102 using highlight region 110. In other embodiments, the user maybe presented with an option in options region 126 to input a time andcontent source to access the selected media asset. The specified timemay occur on any suitable increment, such as a half-hour, hour, or otheruser-defined interval of time. For example, specifying times inhalf-hour increments may allow the user to easily swap programs andrearrange originally scheduled programming. Alternatively, the userrequest may be a user input in any one of availability windowinformation screens 530, 630, 730, or equivalents thereof.

At step 1308, the processing device determines whether the alternatetime and content source as requested by the user falls within theavailability window associated with the selected media asset. Theprocessing device may access data indicating the availability windowassociated with the selected media asset and identify an interval orintervals of time during which the media asset may be accessed fromcontent source 416. The processing device may also identify from thedata a predetermined set of content sources over which the media assetmay be accessed. The processing device may compare the requested timewith the identified time intervals to determine whether the media assetmay be accessed from the media content source 416 at the requested time.If the requested time does not fall within one of the identifiedintervals of time, or the requested content source is not included inthe identified set of content sources over which the media asset may bereceived, the processing device may generate an optional notification atstep 1307 that the request could not be completed. The notification mayinclude a reason that the requested shift could not be completed, suchas the requested time being outside the available times, or therequested content source not being included in the set of availablecontent sources. After generating the notification, the processingdevice may return the user to one of availability window informationscreens 530, 630, or 730, or to one of display screens 100, 200, or 800.The processing device may then await another user request at step 1306.

If the requested time and content source fall within the availabilitywindow associated with the selected media asset, the processing devicemay determine whether the user has the necessary permissions to make theshift. In some embodiments, the processing device may transmit therequest to media content source 416 to determine whether the user haspermission to shift the media asset to the requested time. Media contentsource 416 may determine the user's subscription status, for example byaccessing a user profile stored at the user equipment, media contentsource 416, remote server 415, or a combination of the above. Mediacontent source 416 may also determine whether the requested shift isassociated with any fees. For example, purchasing a subscription mayallow the user to shift the media asset to a predetermined set ofcontent sources for free or for a reduced price. Alternatively, shiftinga media asset may be associated with a one-time fee. Once the user'ssubscription status and/or payment information is verified, mediacontent source 416 may transmit permissions data to user equipment 300confirming that the user may make the requested shift. In someembodiments, the permissions data may be included in the user profilestored at the user equipment, remote server 415, media content source416, or a combination of the above.

In some embodiments, the permissions data may include a list of one ormore remote servers 415 that may provide the requested media asset atthe requested time. For example, remote server 415 may comprise anInternet source which may stream the requested media asset to userequipment 300. In some embodiments, the permissions data may alsoinclude access rights to the list of remote servers 415. For example,the permissions data may include an access key which allows theprocessing device to access media content from remote server 415,whereas the media content might otherwise not be available to userswithout the access key.

Once the processing device has verified that the user has the necessarypermissions to make the shift, the processing device may update theprogram guide screen at step 1310 with the selected media asset at therequested time and content source. In some embodiments, the selectedmedia asset may replace the originally-scheduled media asset at therequested time such that the originally-scheduled media asset is“overwritten.” In other embodiments, the processing device mayautomatically shift other media assets affected by the user requestforward or backward such that the shifted media asset is “inserted” intothe program lineup without a loss of programming.

At step 1312, the processing device may store the personalized programlineup onto any suitable electronic storage device. The electronicstorage device may reside within user equipment device 300, such asstorage device 308, at a remote server 415, or a combination of the two.In embodiments where the personalized program lineup is stored at aremote server 415, the personalized program lineup may be synchronizedacross multiple user equipment devices using the cloud-based services asdescribed above. For example, a user may construct a personalizedprogram lineup on a first user equipment device, such as a mobile phone406, store the personalized program lineup at a remote server 415, andaccess the program lineup on a second user equipment device, such asuser television equipment 402. The various user equipment devices may beassociated with any suitable interactive application for allowing theuser to define a personalized program lineup, such as an interactiveguidance application running on a set-top-box, a web browser accessedfrom a personal computer, a mobile application running on a mobilephone, or any other suitable user interface as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art.

FIG. 14 illustrates another flow diagram 1400 for defining apersonalized program lineup in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The steps of flow diagram 1400 are performed by aprocessing device, such as control circuitry 304 of user equipment 300.In certain embodiments, a similar processing device at remote server 415may perform the steps of flow diagram 1400, and in yet otherembodiments, the steps of flow diagram 1400 may be performed by acombination of processing devices at remote server 415 and one or moreof user equipment 402, 404, and 406.

At step 1402, the processing device may receive program guidance datafrom media guidance data source 418. The program guidance data mayinclude information on a plurality of media assets, includingtransmission times, transmission channels or content sources, titles,descriptions, series names, series IDs, episode numbers, parentalratings, popularity ratings, critic's ratings, descriptions, summaries,reviews, genre or category information, actor information, logo data, orany other information related to the plurality of media assets. Inaddition, the program guidance data may include information on theavailability window associated with each of the plurality of mediaassets. In alternate embodiments, data indicating the availabilitywindows may be received separately from the program guidance data, forexample from media content source 416 or remote server 415.

At step 1404, the processing device may generate a program guide screenbased on the received program guidance data. The processing device maydisplay the plurality of media assets in a first sequence according totheir scheduled transmission times and content sources. Users maynavigate on the program guide screen, such as the display screensillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, using user input interface 310. Thestorage 308 at user equipment 300 and/or the media guidance data source418 may store past program guidance data up to a set amount of time,allowing the processing device to present past program listings in theprogram guide screen. The user may select a media asset, for example, byhighlighting the asset using highlight indicator 110 and pressing a“select” or equivalent key on user input interface 310. Upon selecting amedia asset, the processing device may display the availability windowassociated with the selected media asset, either through a separateavailability window information screen as discussed above in relation toFIGS. 5-7 or by highlighting a region directly on grid 102 correspondingto the availability window, as discussed above in relation to FIG. 8.

At step 1406, the processing device may receive a user selection of afirst media asset, and at step 1408, the processing device may receive auser selection of a second media asset. The processing device may querythe user, for example using confirmation screen 1102, whether to swapthe transmission time and/or content sources of the first and the secondmedia asset. At step 1410, the processing device may determine whetherthe scheduled transmission time and content source associated with thesecond media asset falls within the availability window of the firstmedia asset. The processing device may access data indicating theavailability window associated with the first media asset and identifyan interval or intervals of time during which the first media asset maybe accessed from content source 416. The processing device may alsoidentify from the data a predetermined set of content sources over whichthe first media asset may be accessed. The processing device may comparethe transmission time of the second media asset with the identified timeintervals to determine whether the first media asset may be accessedfrom the media content source 416 at the transmission time of the secondmedia asset. In a similar manner, the processing device may determinewhether the transmission time and content source of the first mediaasset falls within the availability window of the second media asset,thereby allowing the second media asset to be shifted to thetransmission time and content source of the first media asset. If theprocessing device determines that either the first or the second mediaasset is unable to be swapped to the requested time, the processingdevice may generate an optional notification at step 1407 that therequest could not be completed. The notification may include a reasonthat the requested shift could not be completed, such as the requestedtime for the first media asset being outside the available times, or therequested content source for the first media asset not being included inthe set of available content sources. After generating the notification,the processing device may return the user to one of availability windowinformation screens 530, 630, or 730, or to one of display screens 100,200, or 800. The processing device may then await another user requestat step 1406.

If the processing device determines that the transmission time andcontent source of both the first and the second media asset fall withinthe availability window of the other, the processing device maydetermine whether the user has the necessary permissions to make theswap. In some embodiments, the processing device may transmit therequest to one or more media content sources 416 to determine whetherthe user has permission to shift the first media asset to the originaltransmission time of the second media asset and to shift the secondmedia asset to the original transmission time of the first media asset.Media content source 416 may determine the user's subscription status,for example by accessing a user profile stored at the user equipment,media content source 416, remote server 415, or a combination of theabove. Media content source 416 may also determine whether the requestedshifts are associated with any fees. For example, purchasing asubscription may allow the user to shift the media asset to apredetermined set of content sources for free or for a reduced price.Alternatively, shifting a media asset may be associated with a one-timefee. Once the user's subscription status and/or payment information isverified, the one or more media content sources 416 may transmitpermissions data to user equipment 300 confirming that the user may makethe requested shifts. In some embodiments, the permissions data may beincluded in the user profile stored at the user equipment, remote server415, media content source 416, or a combination of the above.

In some embodiments, the permissions data may include a list of one ormore remote servers 415 that may provide the requested media asset atthe requested time. For example, remote server 415 may comprise anInternet source which may stream the requested media asset to userequipment 300. In some embodiments, the permissions data may alsoinclude access rights to the list of remote servers 415. For example,the permissions data may include an access key which allows theprocessing device to access media content from remote server 415,whereas the media content might otherwise not be available to userswithout the access key.

Once the processing device has verified that the user has the necessarypermissions to make the swap, the processing device may update theprogram guide screen at step 1412 with the first media asset at thetransmission time and content source of the second media asset and thesecond media asset at the transmission time and content source of thefirst media asset.

At step 1414, the processing device may store the personalized programlineup onto any suitable electronic storage device. The electronicstorage device may reside within user equipment device 300, such asstorage device 308, at a remote server 415, or a combination of the two.In embodiments where the personalized program lineup is stored at aremote server 415, the personalized program lineup may be synchronizedacross multiple user equipment devices using the cloud-based services asdescribed above. For example, a user may construct a personalizedprogram lineup on a first user equipment device, such as a mobile phone406, store the personalized program lineup at a remote server 415, andaccess the program lineup on a second user equipment device, such asuser television equipment 402. The various user equipment devices may beassociated with any suitable interactive application for allowing theuser to define a personalized program lineup, such as an interactiveguidance application running on a set-top-box, a web browser accessedfrom a personal computer, a mobile application running on a mobilephone, or any other suitable user interface as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flow diagram 1500 for delivering content accordingto a personalized program lineup in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The steps of flow diagram 1500 are performed bya processing device, such as control circuitry 304 of user equipment300. In certain embodiments, a similar processing device at remoteserver 415 may perform the steps of flow diagram 1500, and in yet otherembodiments, the steps of flow diagram 1500 may be performed by acombination of processing devices at remote server 415 and one or moreof user equipment 402, 404, and 406.

At step 1502, the processing device may receive a request to access acontent source 416. For example, the processing device may receive auser input from user input interface 310 to tune to a broadcast channelprovided by content source 416. At step 1504, the processing device mayaccess or retrieve a personalized program lineup associated with theuser. As discussed above, the personalized program lineup may be storedat an electronic storage device, such as storage device 308, a similarstorage device at remote server 415, or a combination of the two. Thepersonalized program lineup defines a sequence of media assets that hasbeen modified by the user from their originally-scheduled transmissiontimes.

At step 1506, the processing device uses the personalized program lineupto determine, at the current time, whether the user has requested adifferent media asset than the originally-scheduled transmission fromcontent source 416. If the user has not made a custom request at thecurrent time, the processing device may receive the originally-scheduledmedia asset from the content source 416 at step 1508 and playback themedia asset at step 1514. If the user has requested a different mediaasset than the originally-scheduled transmission at the current time,the processing device may transmit a request to content source 416 toprovide the user-requested media asset at step 1510. In someembodiments, control circuitry receives the media asset directly frommedia content source 416 at the requested time. In other embodiments,media content source 416 may access an external server, such as remoteserver 415, to provide the media asset at the requested time. In yetother embodiments, the processing device may receive the media assetdirectly from remote server 415 instead of content source 416. Forexample, the remote server 415 may be an online streaming sourceassociated with the content source 416 that may provide the broadcastmedia asset on-demand over the Internet. In these embodiments, theprocessing device may need to access certain access rights for remoteserver 415, such as an access key provided by media content source 416.

In some embodiments, the request to access the content source may comein the middle of a media asset to be received according to thepersonalized program lineup. For example, the user may request anepisode of “Modern Family” to air on ABC at 7 pm, but not tune to ABCuntil 7:15, halfway through the episode. In such embodiments, theprocessing device may transmit a request to media content source 416 orremote server 415 to provide the user-requested media asset starting atan intermediate point corresponding to the current time. In the exampleprovided above, media content source 416 or remote server 415 wouldprovide the episode of “Modern Family” starting 15 minutes into theepisode. The processing device receives the user-requested media assetfrom content source 416 or remote server 415 at step 1512 and plays backthe user-requested media asset at step 1514.

At step 1516, the processing device may finish playback of the mediaasset and automatically determine, based on the personalized programlineup at the current time, whether the next media asset is differentfrom the originally-scheduled transmission from content source 416. Ifthe user has not made a custom request, the processing device may revertback to step 1508 and receive the originally-scheduled media asset. Ifthe user has requested a different media asset than theoriginally-scheduled transmission, the processing device may revert backto step 1510 and transmit a request to content source 416 or remoteserver 415 to provide the user-requested media asset. In someembodiments, control circuitry 304 transmits the request prior to thecompletion of the previous media asset and buffers the next media assetin storage 308 in anticipation of playback. In this manner, media assetsare automatically delivered to user equipment 300 according to thepersonalized program lineup without further user input.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow diagram 1600 for rearranging related mediaassets in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.The steps of flow diagram 1600 are performed by a processing device,such as control circuitry 304 of user equipment 300. In certainembodiments, a similar processing device at remote server 415 mayperform the steps of flow diagram 1400, and in yet other embodiments,the steps of flow diagram 1400 may be performed by a combination ofprocessing devices at remote server 415 and one or more of userequipment 402, 404, and 406.

At step 1602, the processing device may receive a user request to shifta first media asset to an alternate time and/or content source. In someembodiments, the user request may be a selection of an alternate time ongrid 102 using highlight region 110. In other embodiments, the user maybe presented with an option in options region 126 to input a time andcontent source to access the selected media asset. The specified timemay occur on any suitable increment, such as a half-hour, hour, or otheruser-defined increment of time. For example, specifying times inhalf-hour increments may allow the user to easily swap programs andrearrange originally scheduled programming. Alternatively, the userrequest may be a user input in any one of availability windowinformation screens 530, 630, 730, or equivalents thereof.

At step 1604, the processing device determines whether the alternatetime and content source as requested by the user falls within theavailability window associated with the first media asset. Theprocessing device may access data indicating the availability windowassociated with the first media asset and identify an interval orintervals of time during which the media asset may be accessed fromcontent source 416. The processing device may also identify from thedata a predetermined set of content sources over which the media assetmay be accessed. The processing device may compare the requested timewith the identified time intervals to determine whether the media assetmay be accessed from the media content source 416 at the requested time.If the requested time does not fall within one of the identifiedintervals of time, or the requested content source is not included inthe identified set of content sources over which the media asset may bereceived, the processing device may generate an optional notification atstep 1606 that the request could not be completed. The notification mayinclude a reason that the requested shift could not be completed, suchas the requested time being outside the available times, or therequested content source not being included in the set of availablecontent sources. After generating the notification, the processingdevice may return the user to one of availability window informationscreens 530, 630, or 730, or to one of display screens 100, 200, or 800.The processing device may then await another user request at step 1602.

If the requested time and content source fall within the availabilitywindow associated with the first media asset, the processing device mayupdate the program guide screen at step 1608 with the first media assetat the requested time and content source. In some embodiments, the firstmedia asset may replace the originally-scheduled media asset at therequested time such that the originally-scheduled media asset is“overwritten.” In other embodiments, the processing device mayautomatically shift other media assets affected by the user requestforward or backward such that the shifted media asset is “inserted” intothe program lineup without a loss of programming.

At step 1610, the processing device may query the user whether torearrange related media assets into an original order. The processingdevice may query the user by generating a confirmation screen, such asconfirmation screen 1202 depicted in FIG. 12. In some embodiments, theoriginal order may comprise an original broadcast order, while in otherembodiments, the original order may comprise an episode numbering orderof a series. For example, if a later episode of a series is moved beforean earlier episode of the same series, the processing device may querythe user to rearrange the episodes in the original episode order.

If the user chooses not to rearrange the related media assets, theprocessing device may store the personalized program lineup at step1628. If the user chooses to rearrange the related media assets, theprocessing device may proceed to identify the related media assets inthe loop defined by steps 1612-1620. At step 1612, the processing deviceidentifies an intermediate media asset which occurs between theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the first media asset and thealternate time requested by the user. At step 1614, the processingdevice compares the program guidance data of the intermediate asset andthe first media asset to determine whether the intermediate asset isrelated to the first media asset. For example, the processing device maycompare program titles, series titles, series IDs, episode numbers,actor names, etc. to determine whether the media assets are related.

At step 1616, the processing device may decide, based on the comparisonof program guidance data, whether the intermediate media asset isrelated to the first media asset. If the media assets are related, theprocessing device may identify the intermediate media asset as a relatedmedia asset at step 1618, for example by adding the intermediate mediaasset to a list of related media assets stored in electronic storage308. If the media assets are not related, the processing device mayproceed directly to step 1620, where the processing device may determinewhether there are further intermediate media assets between theoriginally-scheduled transmission time of the first media asset and thealternate time requested by the user. If other intermediate media assetsremain to be compared to the first media asset, the processing devicemay return to step 1612 and repeat steps 1612-1618 with anotherintermediate asset.

If all the intermediate media assets have been compared to the firstmedia asset, the processing device may proceed to step 1622 and reorderthe related media assets and the first media asset into an originalorder. The processing device may identify a transmission time andavailability window associated with each of the related media assets anddetermine whether the related media assets may be shifted into theoriginal order. If, based on the availability windows of the relatedmedia assets, the related media assets cannot be shifted into theoriginal order, the processing device may generate a notification to theuser similar to the notification generated at step 1606. If theprocessing device determines that the media assets can be shifted to theoriginal order, the processing device may update the program guidescreen with the reordered sequence at step 1624.

At step 1626, the processing device may store the personalized programlineup onto any suitable electronic storage device. The electronicstorage device may reside within user equipment device 300, such asstorage device 308, at a remote server 415, or a combination of the two.In embodiments where the personalized program lineup is stored at aremote server 415, the personalized program lineup may be synchronizedacross multiple user equipment devices using the cloud-based services asdescribed above. For example, a user may construct a personalizedprogram lineup on a first user equipment device, such as a mobile phone406, store the personalized program lineup at a remote server 415, andaccess the program lineup on a second user equipment device, such asuser television equipment 402. The various user equipment devices may beassociated with any suitable interactive application for allowing theuser to define a personalized program lineup, such as an interactiveguidance application running on a set-top-box, a web browser accessedfrom a personal computer, a mobile application running on a mobilephone, or any other suitable user interface as will be appreciated byone skilled in the art.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that methods,techniques, and processes involved in the present disclosure may beembodied in a computer program product that includes a non-transitorycomputer usable and/or readable medium. For example, such anon-transitory computer readable medium may consist of a read-onlymemory device, such as a CD-ROM disk or conventional ROM devices, or arandom access memory, such as a hard drive device or a computerdiskette, having a computer readable program code stored thereon.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the presentdisclosure have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to belimited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described andshown. Those skilled in the art will know or be able to ascertain usingno more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to theembodiments and practices described herein. Accordingly, it will beunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the embodimentsdisclosed herein, which are presented for purposes of illustration andnot of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for delivering content, the methodcomprising: receiving a request to access, at a particular time, a firstmedia asset; determining whether the first media asset will be availablefrom a first content source at the particular time; if the first mediaasset will be available from the first content source at the particulartime, storing an indication of the first media asset receiving, at theparticular time, a request to access a second content source, whereinthe second content source is scheduled to transmit a second media assetdifferent than the first media asset at the particular time; andautomatically receiving the first media asset from the first contentsource instead of the second media asset based on a determination thatthe first media asset is different than the second media asset.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein automatically receiving the first media assetfrom the first content source comprises: automatically transmitting acommunication to the first content source requesting that the firstcontent source make the first media asset available at the particulartime; and receiving the first media asset from the first content source.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content source is one of thegroup of: a television distribution facility, a broadcast provider, acable system head end, a service provider, a satellite distributionfacility, a video on-demand server, an internet server, a website, or aremote recording device.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein automaticallyreceiving the first media asset comprises automatically receiving thefirst media asset starting at an intermediate point in the first mediaasset relative to a starting position of the first media asset.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein receiving a request to access the first mediaasset at the particular time comprises receiving a user input to shiftthe first media asset to the particular time from a scheduled time thatis different than the particular time.
 6. The method of claim 5 whereinthe particular time occurs prior to the scheduled time.
 7. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the particular time occurs subsequent to the scheduledtime.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein determining whether the firstmedia asset will be available from the first content source at theparticular time comprises determining whether the particular time occurswithin an availability window associated with the first media asset. 9.The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the secondmedia asset is available from the first content source.
 10. The methodof claim 1 further comprising: generating a program guide screen todisplay a first plurality of media assets, wherein the program guidescreen indicates that the second media asset is scheduled to betransmitted by the second content source at the particular time; andupdating the program guide screen to display a second plurality of mediaassets, wherein the program guide screen indicates that the first mediaasset is scheduled to be transmitted by the second content source at theparticular time.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receivingsubscription information associated with the user; and determining,based on the subscription information, a fee associated with the requestto access the first media asset at the particular time.
 12. A system fordelivering content, the system comprising: a processor configured to:receive a request to access, at a particular time, a first media asset;determine whether the first media asset will be available from a firstcontent source at the particular time; if the first media asset will beavailable from the first content source at the particular time, store anindication of the first media asset receive, at the particular time, arequest to access a second content source, wherein the second contentsource is scheduled to transmit a second media asset different than thefirst media asset at the particular time; and automatically receive thefirst media asset from the first content source instead of the secondmedia asset based on a determination that the first media asset isdifferent than the second media asset.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the processor is configured to automatically receive the firstmedia asset from the first content source by: automatically transmittinga communication to the first content source requesting that the firstcontent source make the first media asset available at the particulartime; and receiving the first media asset from the first content source.14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first content source is one ofthe group of: a television distribution facility, a broadcast provider,a cable system head end, a service provider, a satellite distributionfacility, a video on-demand server, an internet server, a website, or aremote recording device.
 15. The system of claim 12 wherein theprocessor is configured to automatically receive the first media assetby automatically receiving the first media asset starting at anintermediate point in the first media asset relative to a startingposition of the first media asset.
 16. The system of claim 12, whereinthe processor is configured to receive a request to access the firstmedia asset at the particular time by receiving a user input to shiftthe first media asset to the particular time from a scheduled time thatis different than the particular time.
 17. The system of claim 16wherein the particular time occurs prior to the scheduled time.
 18. Thesystem of claim 16 wherein the particular time occurs subsequent to thescheduled time.
 19. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor isconfigured to determine whether the first media asset will be availablefrom the first content source at the particular time by determiningwhether the particular time occurs within an availability windowassociated with the first media asset.
 20. The system of claim 12,wherein the processor is further configured determine whether the secondmedia asset is available from the first content source.
 21. The systemof claim 12 wherein the processor is further configured to: generate aprogram guide screen to display a first plurality of media assets,wherein the program guide screen indicates that the second media assetis scheduled to be transmitted by the second content source at theparticular time; and update the program guide screen to display a secondplurality of media assets, wherein the program guide screen indicatesthat the first media asset is scheduled to be transmitted by the secondcontent source at the particular time.
 22. The system of claim 12wherein the processor is further configured to: receive subscriptioninformation associated with the user; and determine, based on thesubscription information, a fee associated with the request to accessthe first media asset at the particular time.